


Precious People

by KagedBird



Category: Undertale
Genre: Additional Tags to Be Added, Angst, Bad Puns, Fluff, Gender-neutral Reader, Kidnapping, Mentions of Self Hurt, Multi, POV Second Person, Post-Pacifist Route, Reader-Insert, Torture, Violence, like hella fluff, mentions of scars, mild swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-05-01 22:11:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 114,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5222813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KagedBird/pseuds/KagedBird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was your job to help out and protect humans and monsters alike after Humanitarian Peace Preserve started attacking. But it came to you as a surprise when two friendly skeletons came to help and protect you instead.<br/>[Discontinued; to be rewritten in the future. Look out for the newer version (ETA ; TBA)! Go to my tumblr, KagedBird, for any future info!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! KagedBird here. I originally posted this on Fanfiction, but after some issues, a Dev' decided that AO3 would suit this fic much better.  
> I do hope you enjoy, and please do leave a comment below! Criticism is always welcomed here.

Ducking into another alleyway, you panted. Hiding behind a trash can, you held your breath as you heard the sounds of footsteps stampeding past; not giving the hideaway a second thought. Waiting a good few spare moments, you released your breath and carefully looked around. Those pricks would be back in no time. You had to get out of there and hide- fast.

With that thought, you scurried to the other side of the street, careful to lay low, and began blending in with the crowd around you. You sighed as you buried your nose in your scarf, your body already used to the cold. It was winter again, and everyone but you hated it. Winter was your favourite season- mostly because it gave you an excuse to wear big and excessive clothing. It hid all your scars that you acquired throughout the years, and while they were cool, people tended to distrust you and give you bad looks if they could see them.

You snorted. Wasn't your fault you were on the streets fighting for your- and many other people’s- lives.

A few years ago, monsters had somehow escaped from the mountain- Mt. Ebott- and began settling down with humans. It wasn't easy, obviously, as there were problems in the past and reasons as to why they were sent there in the first place- not that most people seemed to remember, from what you’d seen on a few TV screens. It seemed that only the oldest generation had vague tales about the monster folk.

But a tense and awkward peace settled over the two species, due to the monster's adorable ambassador- who was only about nine years old at the time- demanded they were allowed to speak and say their peace. The truce was rocky at best, but no major conflicts arose.

Well... until HPP arrived.

Humanitarian Peace Preserve- or HPP for short- was a widespread group of fifty to a thousand people- a rough estimation, of course. They were filled with random, unknown people who hated monsters with a passion, and tended to show how much they did by killing them.

They were never planned attacks, but it was almost seemingly obvious when something would occur. The air would grow tense and the people would grow quiet. They would look around, and a few people would suddenly pop out from behind the scenes and shouting- hurting not only monsters, but have a few human casualties as well.

They blamed that part on the people not joining them in their hatred.

You, instead of just sitting by and watching people get hurt, made sure to look out for these signs. The quiet, the murmurs, the tense atmosphere. You could easily spot who was going to do something and effectively distracted most of them before they could do any serious harm. It wasn't easy- you were always dead tired from running everywhere or nearly beat to death for your "transgressions against humankind"- but you did the best you could for a human. It was the least you could do for monsters who hadn't lifted a  finger against humans in any form of retaliation.

Turning around the corner, you slid into a fast food joint known as "Grillby's"- something the monsters had apparently brought up with them- and sat at the bar. The atmosphere was as warm as the people’s conversations, creating a nice lull in your body. Accompanied by the low hum of a TV in the corner- which oddly enough had the news on showing Monster protection groups that were created by a large group of humans- you felt safe here. It was nice.   
  
The fire elemental took notice of you after having finished wiping down his glass, and gave- what you could assume- a smile and a menu. Thanking him with a nod, you took the menu and looked it over. Everything sounded good.

"I recommend the burgers. Grillby's specialty."

Looking up and to your left, you noticed a skeleton that hadn't been sitting there moments before. When did he get there?

"I prefer just ketchup, but I know you humans don't  _ tendon _ to drink it alone." It took you a moment before the joke clicked, and you snorted at the skeleton pun before looking back at the menu. You chewed your lip for a moment before shrugging, and grabbed ‘Grillby's’ attention.

"Two burgers please." He nodded and left to the kitchen. The skeleton chuckled, grabbing your focus again.

"Never met a human that hungry before. Or do you just take my word for it that much...?"  You didn't reply, but gave him a smile anyways. He didn't give off any creepy vibe- in fact, he seemed very down to earth in an almost lazy sort of way- and had a friendly smile on his face.

Face. Bones. Whatever.

Point was, he seemed nice.

‘Grillby’- who you assumed was Grillby anyways, given he was the only one manning the place- came back with your order of burgers and gave you a ketchup bottle before going back to cleaning his shot glasses. You poured some ketchup on to your burger before setting it down and sliding the second one in front of the skeleton. He seemed surprised, and stared for a moment before chuckling again.

"Wow. Definitely one of the nicest humans I've met. Thank you." You gave another smile before digging into your meal. It was definitely delicious. Closing your eyes and chewing thoughtfully, you could feel your cheeks warm as the skeleton laughed. "Never seen anyone so pleased to eat a burger. But I know Grillby has that effect on people."

You stayed silent as your enjoyed your meal, but your companion didn't seem to mind. He actually seemed use to not getting any verbal replies, which was curious enough, but you didn't pry. You didn't really need that information.

Covering your mouth, you let out a small burp and flushed; glancing at your companion. He didn't seem to mind, only enjoying his own burger. He looked content. Turning back to your own meal, you sighed softly; feeling warm and nearly full. Which was a first in a long time- being stuck on the street always left you feeling cold- and not having any money left you hungry at most times. Especially in the winter. But you had a semi-well paying job now, so it didn't matter as much.

You took your time finishing up; letting your ears wander around various conversations in case anything about HPP came up, and watched the TV in the corner; happy that there weren’t any attacks playing. It was good to know there were others like you out there who did their best to protect monsters. They certainly didn’t deserve being attacked like they were.

Sliding your coin on the counter, you stretched contentedly before getting up. "Hey," The skeleton called, making you look over to him. He gave you an appraising look. "You have a nice day, alright?" Smiling, you nodded.

"You too." He looked pleased to get a response from you, and nodded in kind. Giving a small wave, you left the bar and went back out into the cold. But, for once, you felt quite warm; inside and out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get pretty banged up, but a friend comes along to help you out.

Panting, you sprinted across the baseball field, desperate and determined to get these  _ bozos _ away from the monster children.

It was another HPP plan- this time, something you overheard- and quickly chucked a bat at one of them, sending them after you instead of the children. Ducking under a few trees and jogging across the street, you pushed your way through a sea of people- nearly tripping over some- and easily slid into a nearby alley way, but froze halfway through as you noticed it was a dead end.

Hearing some commanding shouts just outside the crowd, you looked around desperately, but found nothing to hide behind. Not even a ladder to go up a fire escape. You cursed under your breath and swallowed your trepidation before turning around slowly, and facing the group of HPP.

The leader- who you assumed this group's leader, anyways- sneered at you and stepped closer to you intimidatingly. "Well, well, well. Looks like the supposed monster weasel slipped up, eh boys?"

Oh good, you made a name for yourself. Yay you.

"Nowhere to run this time, you little shit." He seized forward suddenly, grabbing the front of your hoodie and hoisted you up in the air. You grabbed his hands and wiggled around; glaring down at him all the while. "Aww, isn't that cute. You trying to be intimidating, weasel?" The HPP lackeys chuckled behind their leader as he mocked you. You kicked and squirmed, not in the least bit afraid. You'd taken these assholes on plenty of times. What they'll do to you couldn't be any worse that what other groups have already done.

The leader slammed you into the alley wall suddenly, disorienting your head for a moment. With an evil grin, he popped out a switchblade and easily sliced your body, causing you to grunt in pain. That hurt. "Aww, so strong, aren't you? Able to take a little pain?" He slammed your body on to the ground, but didn't give you a time to collect yourself as he kicked you in the face; sending blood spewing from your- now broken- nose.

You cried out- loudly. Your head was spinning, and your nose leaking blood everywhere. Soon the lackeys joined in; laughing and taunting you as they kicked and beat you to a pulp. The leader pulled you up by your hoodie again, grinning down at you before pulling his arm back and giving you a sucker punch in the eye that sent you unconscious from it; your world fading to black.

 

* * *

 

 

You wake up to the aching feeling of your body, and what feels like a wet rag on your head.

Blearily blinking your eyes open, you slowly take in a white, popcorn ceiling and stare at it for a few moments before shooting up in surprise, flinging the rag off your head. You bite your lip as pain shoots up your whole body, and you groan in your throat as you try to force back the pain.

"Whoa there buddy. Take it easy."

You remember that voice. You slowly turn and look over to see a familiar skeleton, holding out his hands to you to make sure you slow down. You give him a bemused glance before taking a look around. You were on a very lumpy green couch, covered in various blankets and wrapped in gauze. Your eye felt a little funny, and as you lightly brushed your fingertips against your skin, you hissed in pain.

_ ‘Yup,’ _ You groaned, gently pushing the wet rag against the tender skin.  _ ‘Definitely got a black eye.’ _

"Found ya bloodied and bruised in an alleyway. Figured ya could use some help." You looked at him and felt gratitude seeping into your face, causing his cheekbones to turn blue. "Aw, don't sweat it. Least I could do for someone who's willing to share a burger."

You felt touched. It was nice to be healed- to an extent, at least- and not have to drag yourself to safety in the middle of night. Or morning. You relaxed a little, and leaned back- slowly, remembering how painful it was to move to fast. The skeleton chuckled, and helped you lean back on your pillows before pulling away. "Ya need anything, pal?"

You swallowed a bit, noting how dry your throat was, and slowly pulled the rag away from your face. "Water?" He nodded and went to- what you assumed- was the kitchen area, before bringing you back a cup of water. With shaky hands, you took it and took slow sips; your throat already feeling better from the soothing, cold water.

"So," He drawled, sitting on the coffee table behind him. "Who did this to you?" You licked your lips, quickly taking another small sip before answering.

"HPP."

He rose an eyebrow- eye... bone?- in response. "'HPP'? That weird monster hating organization?" At your nod, he hummed. "Why would they go after a human like you?"

"I stopped them," You spoke slowly, clearing your throat with a wince, "from hurting some monster children." He gave you praising look, and your cheeks lightly flushed.

"Oh, so you're one of them human's who go around protecting monsters then," You thought back to when you were in Grillby's bar, vaguely remembering the news talking about the larger groups of people who went out of their way to create havens for monsters. "Well, I'm very glad I helped ya out then." You smiled, not bothering to correct him. You weren't with a group, but it didn't really matter. "From your other scars, I assume you do this often? This... saving monsters thing?"

You nodded, and while you felt a little peeved he saw your scars, you figured he wouldn't give you too much grief about them. "I knew there was something I liked about ya, pal." He hummed, his always present grin becoming wider. You flushed deeper, taking another sip of your water. You weren't used to being praised for your work- considering you ended up in an alleyway more than half the time. It was a warm feeling, being thanked for your hard work.

"You know, you should probably take it easy on the whole ‘save monsters’ thing," You paused, raising your eyebrow at him. He shrugged, "Not that I hate it or anything- I'm glad you're doing it- but from the looks of it, ya might just keel over from not having any protection."

You huffed quietly. "I'll be fine. I'm not dead yet." He shrugged again, and you gave a small sigh. "Thank you... for taking me in. And healing me."

He gave another chuckle, waving away your thanks.  "My friend healed ya. I don't have any healing magic. But you're welcome about the taking ya in part." You wondered why he didn't have any healing powers, but didn't question it. Monsters were strange in their various magic abilities- almost like talents with humans. You guessed he just wasn’t trained or talented with it.

You gingerly took another sip of your water, soon finishing it off and handing it back to your new friend. "Oh, um," You rubbed your aching cheek, looking at your new companion. "What's your name?" He grinned wider.

"Sans. Sans the Skeleton. Pleasure to officially meet you, human." You nodded, giving your name in return before he told you to go back to sleep. "You humans need a lotta rest.” You huffed but listened anyways; thanking him one last time before falling back asleep as he turned off the lights.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has to save the day again. But you don't mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited!

You and Sans became a bit closer after that day; always meeting up at Grillby's whenever you didn't have work, and making sure to keep each other company late into the night- much to the slight dismay of Grillby, who never closed on time anymore because of you two. You talked and laughed over meals, and enjoyed each other's company.

It was fun to just kick back and relax, and actually have someone to call a friend to just shoot the shit with. You hadn’t had this in… a very long time. Quite a few years, if you thought far enough back.

After a few incidents with HPP and seeing Sans directly after- he had noticed the new bruises and cuts every time- he offered you to hide in his house for safety, knowing that you wouldn’t stop any time soon. It was then that you got to personally meet his brother, Papyrus.

He was very warm for a skeleton, in more ways than one.

After that, you’d more often than not you used it as another safe haven away from the grunts- never really going to your special alleyway to hide anymore. Sometimes you made it, sometimes you didn't, however. Like today.

You had been so busy looking out, and trying to keep an eye out for any crew members of HPP, when one of them apparently spotted you first. You tried to lay low, but they evidently had orders to take you in- or kill you, as it would seem- and chased after you for a good mile.

Now usually, you were very good at eluding anyone from the HPP crew. It wasn't hard to outrun them- they always chose such bulky guys for their members- but from the large amounts of crowds and very few places to hide- darn the holiday season!- you were soon caught and whisked away into yet another alleyway.

You defended yourself rather well- getting in a few good elbow hits and kicked one member in the groin- but were easily defeated when they all jumped on top of you and simultaneously began beating the living shit out of you.

It was very, very painful.

But, with luck on your side, it didn't last too long- as one by one, the members were hoisted up by a blue glow and slammed into the alley walls. You coughed and wheezed on the ground, not daring to move your battered body as someone stepped close. The members were quivering in fear, from what you could hear behind you, and dared to open your right eye to look up at a very livid and scary looking version of Sans. His left eye was glowing a vibrant blue mixed with yellow, and his smile looked rather sadistic instead of jovial.

You could hear the screaming HPP members behind you get beaten easily by Sans' magic, and sighed quietly to yourself when he finished and the light was gone. He kneeled down to you and gave you a concerned look. "You alright down there? You look like hell."

"F-feel... like it..." You coughed out, unable to really feel your body anymore. It was far too cold from all the snow and freezing wind, despite being in a closed off alleyway. He sighed and gently pat your head. "Hang on, okay? I'll take you home in a jiffy."

You didn't hear much else as you let a familiar blackness overtake you.

 

* * *

  
  


You woke up, groaning at the shrill noise that was blasting into your ears.

Bleary eyed and sore, you looked around the room you had gotten accustomed to over the last four weeks and sighed. Turning onto your side painstakingly slow, you grunted in pain. Looks like they got you pretty badly this time. 

Looking towards the kitchen, you saw smoke coming from it and frowned. Papyrus- Sans' brother- must be making something, or a fire started in the kitchen and Sans was too lazy to put it out.

Getting up very slowly, you carefully limped your way to the kitchen area and sighed at the sight of the charcoal black kitchen. Papyrus was looking at the smoke detector with frustration, and you couldn't help but shake your head.

"Papyrus," You croaked out, coughing and waving some smoke away from your face. He looked to you with surprise- and a hint of embarrassment. "Press the red button." His face lit up as he turned to the smoke detector and easily pressed the tiny red button on it; ceasing its cries. You sighed thankfully, and quickly- as quickly as you could, anyways- turned off the stove and turned on a nearby wall fan.

"Thank you, friend!" Papyrus cheered next to you, suddenly having rosy cheekbones. "I am... very sorry to have awakened you from your much needed slumber. I merely wanted to make you some soup to feel better, but, ah... it did not go as planned."

You look at the blackened pots and walls before chuckling and shaking your head. "Thanks, Papyrus. It means a lot. Even if it didn't work out." He smiled so wide, it hurt your own cheeks.   
  
"You're welcome! I'm always happy to try and help out a friend in need!" You patted Papyrus' arm weakly before heading to the fridge and grabbing yourself some water, before trudging back to the couch.

Papyrus followed after you, his adorable smile ever present on his face. "Since you are awake, I must ask; how are you feeling? You came here in very awful shape when Sans brought you home."   
  
You looked down at your- still very battered- body and hummed. "I've been better." He frowned slightly, looking thoughtful as he took his place next to you on the couch.

"Should I call for someone to come here and get you some medical aid?" You shook your head with a slight laugh. Good ol' Papy.   
  
"No, thank you though." He sighed, shaking his head as he grabbed a rag from the coffee table next to the couch and began gently wiping your face free of sweat. You flinched slightly as he brushed over a cut.   
"I swear, you and Sans are so stubborn when it comes to your health. I'm afraid you might end up even worse than now one day." He chided, wiping your brow clean of whatever was caked on there.

_ ‘Aww,’ _ You inwardly cooed. He was worried for you. Waving him to come closer, you made him bend down before gently rubbing his head, causing him to laugh. "I'll be fine, Pap'. I'm strong, I can tough this out. I just need my favourite skeletons to help me along the way."   
  
He grew teary eyed, looking at you in awe. "R-really? We're your favourite skeletons?" You laughed quietly and nodded, causing him to bounce for joy. "Oh that makes me so happy! You're one of my favourite humans too!"

You grinned and slowly drank your water, enjoying your talking to Papyrus. He was such a precious cinnamon roll, you couldn't help but enjoy his company. He was passionate in everything he did, and was a great motivational speaker. He never stopped caring about anyone, and truly believed anyone could be nice and caring if they tried hard enough.

It honestly made you wonder why humans like HPP hated monsters with a passion.

It wasn’t that much longer until Sans entered the house. He looked surprised to see you awake, and not so surprised to see the kitchen in shambles. He set a bag of food on the coffee table and gave you a questioning look. 

You had a feeling he didn’t want to see you awake just yet, despite having brought food. You gave him a nervous half grin.

Papyrus looked at the bag of food in slight disgust. "Sans, not that I'm surprised, but is that really healthy for the human? That's so much grease for their stomach!" Sans sighed quietly before turning to his brother with his normal grin. "It'll be fine, bro. So long as they eat slowly, they'll be fine."

You accepted your meal- a burger and fries that were covered mildly in ketchup- with a thanks and eagerly started digging in; your stomach growling from you being out for so long. Papyrus looked like he was going to be sick, going to the kitchen to reheat some spaghetti. Sans sat next to you, quietly eating and giving you a side look.

You looked up at him and frowned. He gave you another look that said "we'll talk later" as Papyrus came back with his spaghetti, and you swallowed your food slowly. Oops. You were probably in trouble for getting hurt again.

The last time you two talked about it, you nearly got into an argument over how you needed to protect yourself better or stop protecting monsters- as difficult as it was for Sans to say; you could tell he appreciated your efforts, but obviously hated seeing you hurt every time you saw each other. You dismissed him, saying that it was for the best. Better you than them.

He hadn’t talked to you for the rest of the day after that, until Papyrus forced you both to apologize, having sensed the tension, and asked what you two were disagreeing about.

You explained to him why you came to their home broken and battered- Sans apparently not having done so before, if Papyrus’ appalled looks said anything- and chided you for not protecting yourself better. But before anyone could say anything else, he brought you into a gentle, warm hug, and placed his hand on your head.

_ “Friend, we care for you dearly. I understand that you are doing this to protect other monsters- and that is amazing in itself! I’m so proud of you!”  _ He had smiled so cheerfully before giving you a soft, reprimanding look.  _ “But please remember we care about you, and your safety. At least come up with a battle strategy before doing anything dangerous! That way you can have a safe escape route!” _

You agreed, and while it was a bit riskier taking the time to come up with an escape route, it did save your ass more than once. This last time though, you hadn’t really been able to think on your feet and got caught in the end. You were very lucky to have the brothers by your side- or show up whenever you were in trouble- or else, you’d be more than dead; bleeding out in an alleyway somewhere.

You shifted in your seat and talked to Papyrus whenever he made a comment before saying goodnight to him- it was apparently ten at night- and nervously picked at the hem of the blanket as you waited for Sans to come back from reading Papyrus a bedtime story. You weren't afraid of Sans- though his powers of levitating people and being able to slam them on the ground was slightly intimidating- but you hated being reprimanded. It reminded you too much of home.

You scowled at that thought. "Home" wasn't the right word for it. Prison was much better suited. You were never able to do anything- and you didn't mean that in a dramatic teenager sense. You meant literally nothing. No talking, no making any noise, no crying; no asking for help of any kind, and absolutely no talking back. Or you'd be punished for it. And even if you did well, you weren't praised for it. It was expected of you.

You hated it.

You look up, startled, as a hand touched yours and you looked up from the blanket into Sans' eyes. They seemed very concerned for someone who was going to yell at you for getting hurt again. You flinched away, trying to lean back a bit at that thought. You didn't want to be reprimanded again. You didn't want to be told you did wrong. You were helping people- even at the cost of your health. You didn't really mind.

Sans looked slightly hurt at you pulling away and took his hand back to his lap. "Sorry, bud. Didn't mean to scare you." You sighed, relaxing a bit. What were you thinking? This was Sans. Your friend. One of your favourite skeletons. He was just worried about you, and here you were, thinking he was something like your "parents".

Reaching out, you took his hand and held it, flushing slightly. It was cool to the touch, and slightly surreal to be touching bones. "No, I'm sorry. I was... lost in thought. I didn't mean to do that." He didn't seem to be appeased with the comment, so you scooted closer to him and wrapped your arms around him. "I-I kept thinking about how I used to... get yelled at a lot. And it scared me when you gave me the look that we'd talk later, so it brought up a few bad memories. It's fine, though, really. I know you didn't mean to scare me."

It took him a few moments before relaxing into your hold. He chuckled, shaking his head. "No, I honestly didn't. I just meant we should talk about your terrible ability to defend yourself." Flushing, you sighed and laid your head on the small skele-man. He was definitely comfortable to hold, and he didn't seem to mind being held. Must come a lot from Papyrus.

"Why were you awake when I got home?" He questioned, glancing up at you. "The doctor said you'd be out for a good day or two from blood loss." You frowned at that. They got a doctor to come look at you? Those were awfully expensive.   
  
"Papyrus tried making soup. The smoke detector woke me up." He snorted, not surprised. With the way the kitchen looked, it really wasn't a surprise.

"You should get some sleep. You look... bone tired." You laughed quietly at his pun, hugging him closer.   
  
"I'd be fibula-ing if I said I wasn't." He chuckled, and you grinned. "But... I also don't want to move. I'm comfy right now." You could feel your cheek heat up, but you ignored it. It was the truth, no matter how embarrassing it sounded.

"You sure? You really do need to sleep." He sounded worried, making you frown. Why was he always concerned about your health? Not that it wasn't normal between people- from what you knew, anyways- but no one usually cared about your health as much as he- or Papyrus- did. It made you feel warm and cared for inside.

You nodded slowly, rubbing your cheek against his head, making him chuckle. "Alright, well, if you say so."   
  
You looked down at your scarred, bandage covered body and scowled. You felt pretty gross to be honest. A nice shower and a change of clothes was definitely needed. "A-actually, do you think I could take a shower and borrow some clothes?" You questioned, playing with his jacket. "I feel gross."

He nodded and you let him up as he led you to the bathroom before heading, very quietly, into Papyrus' room and grabbed a t-shirt, and shorts from his own room. Papyrus' would be way too big on your body. Handing them to you, he left you to your business and you closed the door before slowly getting in undressed and carefully taking off your bandages.

You caught a glance at yourself in the mirror and winced. You did look god awful. Broken- but bandaged- nose, scars everywhere; dirt and blood smeared on your face and in your hair. It was a wonder how you didn't send people running. Sighing and tearing your eyes away from your body, you turned on the hot water before letting it fill the tub and slowly setting yourself in it.

It was the best feeling in the world as you were finally cleaned and warm; drying yourself off before putting on new bandages and the borrowed clothes. They were baggy enough to hide majority of your body, but your arms and face were left in the open- minus the bandages, of course- and you felt slightly exposed. No one really got to see your scars much anymore- you took great care to hide what you could- so it was slightly nerve wracking to see so many of them yourself.

Leaving the bathroom, you looked around to see Sans on the couch, watching something on the TV. He'd seen your scars before. Probably not in a high amount, but he'd seen them. You knew he wouldn't make fun of you for them, and with that thought, you left the bathroom and carefully made your way down the stairs to the couch.

He looked over at you and smiled- probably grateful for you taking the shower, you thought with an inward snort. "You look much healthier now." He commented, patting the seat next to him. You accepted and took the seat, quickly covering your body with blankets. The wood flooring was cold from the snow outside. Or that was just an excuse to hide your body.

Eh. Only you really knew the right answer.

Sans shifted a bit and got more comfortable, watching the ‘Mettaton’ show on the TV. It seemed that robot was everywhere on television these days. You vaguely wondered if Sans knew him- both of them being in the Underground for so long.

You shifted in your seat and soon moved over to lean against Sans- who didn't seem to mind, as he responded in kind with leaning back against you; being extra mindful of your wounds- and you gave a small yawn. "Tired?" He asked, grinning wide. You smiled and nodded, stifling another yawn before leaning over and hugging him close to your side.

You rubbed your cheek against his head and murmured sleepily, "Stay with me...?" He chuckled, not at all fighting against you, and nodded slightly.   
  
"Sure, bud. Sleep well." You hummed sleepily, and soon fell asleep against your favourite short skeleton to the dull noises of the TV.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas time is here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel dirty for having this Christmas story in November.
> 
> DON'T LOOK AT ME ;A;  
> \------

"Sans, please hurry! Santa has already infiltrated the house and deposited presents!" You snorted from where you were sitting on the couch, hearing Papyrus yell at Sans to get up. He was so excited to open his gifts with you and his brother, you were surprised he was keeping so well collected.

You were also surprised, and more than slightly touched, when Sans and Papyrus had shyly asked if you'd spend Christmas with them. It was a memory that made your cheeks burn with happiness, and your mouth curl into a wide smile. They were just too sweet sometimes.   
  
You made sure to work hard at your job, gaining as much money as you could to get the best gifts you could buy for your skeleton friends. It was the least you could do for them.

Soon, though not soon enough for Papyrus, Sans was awake and walking down the stairs, giving you a sleepy smile. "Merry Christmas," He said quietly, and you nodded, smiling brightly back.

"Merry Christmas." Papyrus, giddy as he was, quickly pulled out the first present from under the tree and smiled brightly.

"Sans, our human friend left this present to you!" Raising an eyebone, Sans reached over and took the gift; carefully unwrapping it. Inside was a new jacket and a beanie, both of them saying "Seems a little fishy" with a small clown fish swimming underneath the text, and "I’m a little chili" with a shivering chili pepper underneath it. You and Sans snickered, giving each other a high five while Papyrus groaned at the puns- with a slight, hidden smile- before quickly moving on to the next gift.

"Oh, this one is for me! From you, friend? How wonderful!" You smiled softly, happy with your choice. Papyrus gasped as he opened it and took out a book- out of the five similar ones you had bought- called "World's Best Spaghetti Dishes" and was near tears; reaching over and hugging you tightly. "Oh, friend, this is wonderful! Thank you so much!" You grunted as the hug made your injuries twinge in pain, but smiled and patted Papyrus' shoulder anyways. 

"Anything for my favourite skeleton, Pap'."

He sniffled and went back to his seat, setting the book down gently beside it before pulling out the next gift. "Oh, friend, this one is for you from Sans!" He happily passed it over and eagerly awaited for you to open it. Giving a glance at the very smug looking skeleton to your left, you carefully unwrapped the present and smiled brilliantly as you saw a gold locket inside. It was in the shape of a circle with your name engraved on it. Popping it open, you gasped as you saw a picture of you, Sans, and Papyrus together in there.

"Oh, Sans, thank you. This is... really too kind!" You closed it and put it on before reaching over and hugging Sans gratefully. He patted your back with a chuckle, and as you pulled away, you could see his cheekbones turning blue.

"'Snow' big deal." Papyrus groaned again, and you laughed at the pun; sneakily taking hold of his hand. It was a big deal to you, though. It was the first present you had ever received from anyone. You'd definitely cherish it.

Papyrus quickly grabbed the next present- that was from Sans to himself- and happily tore away at the paper. You noticed Sans staring at you, and you looked at him in confusion. He squeezed your hand softly, giving a genuine smile. You felt your cheeks flush and quickly looked away as Papyrus crowd at his gift, thanking Sans for the "best brother ever" mirror that showed Papyrus his face. You grinned; that gift definitely suited him.

Papyrus shyly handed you his gift to you, and you opened it with glee; covering your mouth to hide the impossibly wide grin as you saw that he had made you a bone frame, and placed a similar picture of the three of you making ridiculous faces in the camera.

“Papyrus, this is… thank you.” Your cheeks hurt from grinning so wide, and pulled him over for a tight hug; having it returned in full. You didn’t even care that it hurt, you were just too damn happy to care. You vaguely noticed Sans looking at the two of you fondly with a gentle grin in place.

You were very happy to have met these two.

After a few more gifts- Sans receiving a plushie of Papyrus that he made himself, and Papyrus receiving a few more gifts from ‘Santa’- you gave a sly glance over in Sans’ direction who pretended to ignore it- you and the skeleton brothers went out and headed out to get some Nice Cream. You were wondering what ‘Nice’ Cream was and what flavour you'd get, when you bumped into someone- quickly apologizing for it, but was soon hoisted up in the air by someone pulling on your hoodie.

Shit.

It was an older male, in his late thirties it looked like, and he sneered down at you as you dangled in his hold. "You look oddly familiar. I'd take it you're that punk weasel that always somehow stops my boys from doing their jobs, eh?"

Double shit. It was the HPP organization _ leader  _ of all people.

Great. Just great.

You squirmed in his hold but were relieved of it soon enough as Papyrus quickly grabbed and pulled you away from the man, frowning at the HPP leader. "Please excuse me sir, but you're hurting my friend here. They apologized for bumping into you, and I would appreciate it if you didn't harm them further."

The leader snorted, spitting something on the ground before looking up at Papyrus; crossing his arms defiantly. "Whatchu goin’ to do,  _ boy _ ? You don't look like shit. Doubt you could even throw a proper punch."

You take a moment before noticing that the sidewalk was much emptier than it was before. For that, you were kind of glad. If the brothers did do anything, at least no one would be there to see it- or get hurt accidentally by it.

"Ya know, my brother is being very nice to ya," Sans sidled up next to Papyrus, his tone calm and collected. "Which, honestly, I don't think you deserve." Papyrus looked down at Sans questioningly as he set you down behind him, away from further harm. You stood on your tiptoes and whispered to him that he was the HPP leader, and that he's hurt a lot of people- monsters and humans alike.

Papyrus gasped, glaring at the man. "You're the one causing so much pain to so many people? I am appalled!" Sans snorted, pocketing his hands. From where you were standing, he looked tense and ready to fight. You honestly hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The leader cackled, slapping his knee like the brother's told him a good joke. "You two are real precious. Why don't you run along now, and leave that maggot to me, eh?"

Sans looked up at Papyrus with a grin. "Hey, Pap'. Why don't you use your special attack on him?" Papyrus looked down at Sans, surprised. You joined him; a look of worry and confusion on your face. He merely gave you a- what you guessed what supposed to be- reassuring wink.

You didn’t really feel all too reassured.

"Are you sure? I'd rather not fight... even if he does deserve it a little." Papyrus wrung his gloved hands together nervously, glancing back at the leader- who was actually waiting rather patiently for Papyrus to make a move.

Sans nodded, patting his hand. "He'll be alright. He's got too much LV, you know? Need to bring him down a notch."

You didn't know what he meant by LV, but it seemed to invigorate Papyrus enough as he gained a determined expression and struck a heroic pose. "You there, rude man! I will give you one last chance to beg for forgiveness! Otherwise, I will have to use my special attack as a means of defense for my friend!"

The leader laughed again, waving Papyrus towards him. "Show me what you've got, Skeleton man." Papyrus blinked, surprised, before shrugging and waving his own hand flippantly towards the leader. In a flash, three bones appeared from nowhere, along with two blue bones, and they headed towards the man with surprising speed.

The regular bones easily knocked the man far back enough, and when the man tried to run away from the blue bones, they too smacked him in the back of the head; knocking him out on the ground. Moving his hand again, Papyrus summoned a circle of blue bones from nowhere to surround the man with a layer of blue bones on top to seal him in.

Your jaw dropped at Papyrus single handedly took down the elusive leader of HPP with just a few bones. You never thought the easygoing and fun loving skeleton would ever raise his hands against anyone. It was rather astounding. Snapping out of your in awe daze, you told Sans to call the police and tell them that they caught the HPP leader before turning to Papyrus.

"That was... really impressive, Pap'." You grinned wide as he flushed, and rubbed the back of his head. "I never knew you had it in you." He looked proud, stating that it was no problem for someone as great as him. Sans finished alerting the police and pocketed his hands once again.

"How about some Nice Cream, huh?" Quickly pulling you both away from the unconscious leader, Sans struck up a conversation to Papyrus about how cool he was; sending Papyrus into a proud rant about, “Yes, I  _ am _ pretty cool!”, causing you to smile and laugh happily at his exuberance.

Sans sent you another wink, which you returned with a hand squeeze. You could tell that no matter what, so long as you had them by your side, you could trust them. They had your back, and you’d prove that you had theirs, one day.

Life was good. And you were no longer alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gettin' them lips used for the Christmas season.

You three went window shopping not long after- Sans reminding Papyrus to let down his bone attack when the police called back, unable to reach the leader from his cage- and started looking around at the sights of the city.

It was filled with snow, with people all around in large winter coats and funny but warm hats; singing Christmas carols throughout the day. You smiled wide, and even sang along to a few, eliciting a few looks from Sans and Papyrus- who begged you to teach the song to him later on. It was only when you passed through a knick knack shop and began looking at cute little cat toys with Sans did you hear a suspicious cough and clearing of the throat from the clerk lady- who quickly motioned with her eyes to look up.

Carefully, so as not to alert Sans, you flushed bright red as you looked up and saw a mistletoe, innocently hanging above the two of you. You grumbled slightly as the clerk lady was giving an expectant look, so you quickly swooped down to Sans' level and gave him a peck on the cheek; your cheeks feeling like they could melt all of the snow in the city.

Sans looked up at you in surprise, cheeks turning blue from the sudden affectionate action. "Not that I mind, but what was that for?" His surprise quickly turned into a sly smile, and you could feel your cheeks burn brighter. Motioning above you, you grumbled a bit.

"Sneaky clerk lady set up a mistletoe for unsuspecting... couples." You didn't want to mention the word couples, but it was the truth. It was mostly set up for two people to kiss under it.

He rose his eyebones and hummed, before pulling you back down to his level and gently rubbing his teeth against your face with a chuckle. "Best a skeleton can do for a kiss."

You didn't need to look into a mirror to know your face was boiling red, and Sans laughed to himself as he saw Papyrus coming over. You glanced at the clerk lady who looked very smug, grinning to herself. You squinted at her. Cheeky woman...

"Hey, Pap'; c'mere," Sans motioned him over, causing you to squeak and start to move away. But seeing this, Sans quickly grabbed your arm and gave a teasing look. "Now, now; no need to be rude." He turned back to Papyrus and gave a cheery smile as he pulled you over to his brother; quickly stepping behind you. "You're under a mistletoe with them, bro. You gotta give them a kiss."

Papyrus gave Sans a confused look before turning pink on his bones, looking at you in surprise. "K-Kiss? Whatever for?! And what is a ‘mistletoe’?" You groaned, sending the snickering Sans a scathing look.

"The mistletoe is up there," You pointed upwards, showing Papyrus. "And it's tradition for whoever stands beneath it must kiss the person they're with."

Papyrus looked slightly starry eyed. "Wowie! That's quite romantic!" He turned shy soon after though, looking down. "I do not have the ability to kiss though, sadly. I have no lips." You sighed, steeling your nerves before pulling Papyrus down and kissing him on the teeth; quickly pulling away as your cheeks were forever doomed to stay burning.

Papyrus was right there with you, though, as he stared at you in surprise with brilliantly pink cheek bones. "Wowie, friend! You're quite good at that!" He quickly grabbed you and nuzzled his teeth against your head like his brother did moments before, giving a quiet "nyeh heh heh". "There! Now I have "kissed" you back!" You nodded, pulling away and glared at the clerk lady- who seemed to be in a tizzy from your double kiss- before pulling the brother's out of the store.

You made sure to keep an eye out above you at all times in any store from that point on.

You weren't sure if you could take any more heat coming from your face. Sans was enjoying himself, though, and "kissed" your face whenever you were bent down to his level- mistletoe or not. Papyrus was a bit too shy for such "bold" actions like his brother, but was content to hold your hand while you walked from store to store.

You guessed it wasn't so bad.

 

* * *

 

 

Settling down back at home, you and the brothers took turns for the shower before dressing in warm pajamas and wrapping yourselves up in blankets; sitting together comfortably on the couch. 

Your legs were stretched out, slightly covering Papyrus' lap, and you rested your head on Sans' stomach; hugging him like a teddy bear.

You laughed as the people on TV did something funny, but jumped slightly as Sans began running his hand through your hair. Glancing up at him, you noticed he wasn't looking at you, but the TV, and was just letting his hand roam across your head. Sighing softly, you moved your head back to a comfortable spot, not minding. It was very relaxing.

You never would have imagined bone on scalp would have felt so nice, but  _ wow _ did that feel really good.

"Um... human friend," Papyrus called, and when you looked over, you noticed he was looking slightly nervous. "Do be honest, but... what do you think of Sans and I?" The question seemed really important to him, and you shifted in your spot to get a better look at him.

Smiling softly, you answered honestly. "I like you guys. A lot. You mean a lot to me, and… You're... precious to me." Sans paused in his stroking motions and you could tell the skeleton brothers were blushing brightly- nearly becoming like the Christmas lights on the walls.

You laughed- a bright, cheery sound filling the house. Papyrus looked pleased with your answer, and you were about to move to your previous position before Sans tapped his teeth against your head; "kissing" you again, from what you could tell. "You mean a lot to us too."   
  
Papyrus grinned wide as your cheeks bloomed red. "Oh, yes of course! You are absolutely one of our dearest friends!"

He quickly shifted over, mindful of your legs, before leaning in and nuzzling your face; sending you into a snickering fit from the tickling motion. You mentally sighed before saying "screw it" and gave Papyrus another kiss; sending him into a tizzy. "Oh dear! Sans, I've gotten another kiss!"

The smaller skeleton chuckled behind you, obviously amused by the situation. "Do I get another one?"

Sneaky skeleton.

You shifted and gave him a small kiss on the cheek bone, causing him to pout slightly. How, you weren't sure, but he did; and you had to stifle a snort from rising up. "Aww, no more than that? You gave Pap' a kiss on the teeth earlier!" You laughed, quickly giving him another kiss just below his eye. Papyrus whined, pulling you away. "Sans, share! You've been kissing them all day; it's my turn to swim in a shower of kisses!"

You laughed as you were tugged between the two brothers, sharing kisses and receiving "kisses" from either one respectively. Soon enough, they calmed down and you were all back to lounging; though you were now laying on Papyrus' chest with Sans on your lap with covers in between you all. You sighed softly, snuggling close to Pap' and held Sans close to you. "I really do love you guys." You murmured, closing your eyes with a yawn.

Papyrus wrapped his arm around your shoulders and Sans shifted to be closer to you. "We love you too," Papyrus said happily, rubbing his cheek bone against your head. Sans gave you a wink when you looked at him and you laughed softly. Yes, these two were definitely your precious people.

Soon enough, you three were whisked away to the land of dreams; peacefully wrapped around each other.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a fun day with Papyrus and Undyne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank all of you who have been encouraging me with your wonderfully and diabetically sweet comments. Majority of the time I write something, I scrap it and try to make it flow better, but it never feels quite right. But with this story, I feel like I'm actually getting it right.  
> So thank you to all of you for giving kudos and making me smile with your comments. You fill me with determination! <3  
> \------

You waved Sans goodbye the following morning as he headed to work- after being conned into giving goodbye kisses on his cranium- and sighed, closing the door. Papyrus was sitting in the living room, reading the cook books you bought him, with a bright and cheery smile on his face. You turned from the door and sat next to him, wrapping yourself up in a blanket. It was still a bit too chilly to be without something warmer than just your hoodie and sweatpants on your body.

"This book says that you are to add salt to the water!" Papyrus crowd, staring intently at the pages. "I wonder if Undyne knows that. I should bring these to her when we go make spaghetti next time!"

You tilted your head. "Who is Undyne?"

He looked up at you in surprise. "Oh, that is right! You two haven't met yet. She was the head of the Royal Guard back in the Underground!" He set the book down and grabbed his phone. "I should introduce you two! We could all cook happily together in the kitchen!"

Blanching slightly at the thought, you gave him a weak smile. You weren't exactly the best chef around. Mostly because you weren't really ever taught. Stealing food had been your way of getting around as a kid.

"A-ah, I think I'll just let you two cook..."

Papyrus shook his head resolutely. "No way! I must have this bonding experience with you, friend! It is a must!" His cheekbones took a rosy hue that you could only give a small snicker at. "The books I found at the library said that cooking is the best way to grow closer to someone..."

You were touched. Reaching over and gently holding his head, you leaned up and plastered a few kisses to his face before pulling away. He was stunned; face burnt completely pink as his jaw hung. "That's very sweet of you, Papyrus. Thank you."

You smiled at him, and he seemed to snap out of the daze he was just in as he swept you up in his hold and held you close; rubbing his teeth against your hair. "You're v-very welcome, f-friend!"

His stutters were adorable.

You patted his humerus lightly after pulling away before flushing slightly. "I, uh, have absolutely no clue how to cook though. So you're going to have to teach me what you know." He gaped before nodding excitedly in response.

"Oh, yes, of course! Undyne and I will teach you everything we know!" He grinned widely, eye sockets glinting even without eyeballs. “Hopefully we do not burn anything down this time! Sans would be heavily disappointed if we were to ruin the kitchen. Again.” His smile was sheepish as you felt a sweat drop fall from the back of you head. He narrowed his sockets and puffed out his rib cage a moment later. “Fear not, friend! We shall do our absolute best!”

You gave him another weak smile, feeling your eye twitch just slightly.

Papyrus had cooked for you plenty of times, and while they were… god awful  _ at best _ , you’d hoped that whoever this Undyne person was could help him make something edible. Maybe he just didn’t work well alone?

You didn’t like the coiling feeling of dread in your gut. But you shook it off. This would be fine! You had cook books, and three people working in the kitchen to make something tasty.

This… would be fine.

Right?

 

* * *

 

 

Well.

 

It could have been worse.

 

Panning back to the beginning, Undyne came about an hour after your food shopping trip- you were getting low again- and excitedly slapped you on the back in greeting after you finished gawking at her. She was built like a monster truck. Pun… not intended. You weren’t sure if she’d find that offensive or not.

"Sup, human. Name's Undyne; hope you've been taking care of Pap' for me." She not so subtly threatened, eyeing you up and down.

You coughed into your hand, your back no doubt having a bruise later from her "friendly" slap, and grinned weakly. "I'm afraid Papyrus and Sans have been taking care of me more than the other way around. But I'm trying my best."

She gave a noncommittal noise at the back of her throat, and seemed appeased- if only a little- and went to greet Papyrus; giving him a noogie, and nearly suplexed him, if it weren't for you stopping her.

Never mind about being built like a monster truck- you were halfway to being sure she  _ lifted _ monster trucks for fun.

Quickly moving to the kitchen, Undyne immediately got down to business; shouting orders this way and that. Papyrus, heavily used to this, eagerly followed every order with gusto- and guiding you along the way with kinder words. You were in a daze as you watched tomatoes splattered across the wall from Undyne's fists and a roaring fire on the stove. Hastily getting into action, you brought out the fire extinguisher that you had bought a while back and clumsily put out the fire before it could get any worse.

Undyne was heavily displeased as the kitchen was soon covered in a white, somewhat liquid like substance and glared at you- until you told her that burning down the house was absolutely not how you were supposed to cook noodles. Her scowl was replaced with a sickening grin as she was on you in a split second, having Papyrus clean up the extinguisher mess and put you in charge of making the meal.

You inwardly cursed as you bit your lip, looking at the remaining ingredients on the counter. About four remaining tomatoes, three boxes of pasta, and one remaining pot that wasn't decimated in the fire.

"I... I don't know how to cook," You spoke, looking away from her expectant stare. It wasn't always easy admitting to what you weren't good at. Undyne scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Then how do you know that the fire wasn't a good thing?" You gave her the blankest stare you could conjure up. Was she serious? "Don't answer that." She scowled again, her face flushing slightly. You shook your head, but didn't comment any further.

Papyrus looked nervously between you two, poking his gloved phalanges together. "Um, perhaps we should try again?" You nodded, and quickly grabbed a cook book. If you were the one to cook, you wanted to know how to do it well. Quickly searching up how to cook ‘al dente’ pasta- whatever that meant- you got to work; gently telling Papyrus and Undyne what to do- reprimanding them each time they tried to go back to their old cooking habits.

"Ugh!" Undyne groaned, throwing her hands up in the air. "This is taking too long! Can't we just turn the heat up to make it go faster?!" You shook you head negatively and she scowled further, obviously not agreeing to the cooking style.

"P-perhaps just a bit more heat?" Papyrus questioned, looking at you. You sighed, turning up the heat two notches before going back to stir the noodles before they stuck to the bottom. After a few moments, you turned back to the borrowed cookbook and furrowed your eyebrows at the tip on the page.

_ 'If you think it's ready, pull one noodle out and throw it against the wall. If it sticks, it's finished. If not, let it sit for a few more minutes.' _ You shrugged, carefully pulling out a noodle- after burning yourself on a few tries- and threw it at the wall. It stuck.

Papyrus and Undyne gave you a questioning look and you gave an awkward chuckle. "Apparently that's how you check it." They both looked at each other, a wild and determined looked in their eyes, and before you knew it, they began throwing cooked noodles all over the walls; no longer really caring about eating the meal.

Clump of noodles here, handful of noodles there; Undyne and Papyrus were having fun just throwing the noodles, laughing madly all the while. You were caught up in it after Undyne tossed a few at you, and you sputtered; quickly throwing some back. After what seemed like an hour of pasta flinging, you were out of noodles to throw.

You chuckled at the scene; the kitchen was an absolute mess, and the three of you weren't saved from it. Undyne burst into loud howls of laughter, holding her stomach and pointing at Papyrus and yourself. Papyrus soon burst into laughter too; finding the mess and situation hilarious.

The door opened suddenly and everyone went still as Sans walked into the kitchen, an eyebone raised in question. You couldn't help it as you let out a tiny chuckle, and soon the three of you were laughing again; rolling on the floor with tears in your eyes. Sans, obviously not understanding at all, walked away, shaking his head.

Undyne sat up from where she was laying, pulling some gooey pasta out of her hair. "That was fun," She grinned widely. "Definitely going to have to do that again sometime. Much easier to clean up than a burnt down house." Papyrus and you dusted and cleaned yourselves off, smiling widely.

"This was fun," You agreed, quickly grabbing a washcloth. "Thanks for teaching me how to cook."

Papyrus immediately swept you in his arms, hugging you tight. "You're very welcome, friend! It was definitely very entertaining on how to know to cook pasta correctly!" He gasped suddenly, gently placing you back on your feet. "Oh, Undyne, I must show you my new cook books my human friend here bought for me! One moment!"

And in a flash he rushed upstairs to his room to gather his books, leaving you alone with Undyne. You chuckled, shaking your head as you started to clean up the mess. Undyne huffed, leaning against a counter. "What a dork," She shook her head before pausing. "What are you to him, by the way? The way he acts around you... it's different." You flushed, focusing intently on cleaning a spot on the counter as you thought to yourself.

"I... I don't know. I love Papyrus- and I love Sans." You quickly moved the trashcan over to throw away some pasta bits before continuing to clean. "I don't know what I'd label our relationship as, but... we're close. I'm going protect them as best I can."

Undyne was quiet for a long time, and you hummed a small tune to yourself as you continued to clean; making sure to catch anything that fell in between any cracks and behind anything. Throwing it all away, you turned to see Undyne staring intently at you, causing you to flush involuntarily. "I don't really know you," She started, standing up straight. "But I can tell when somebody's lying, and when they're being honest. You'll really take care of him? Of them?"

Staring her in the eyes, you nodded with the calmest smile you could conjure. "I promise." She seemed satisfied with the answer, and nodded, leaning back against the counter.

"Good," She looked calmly at her sharp nails, getting rid of some pasta that was stuck in there. "Because if you didn't, I'd probably have to kill you."

You gulped, taking the threat to heart and nodded. She definitely isn't someone you wanted to mess with. Ever.

Papyrus came down excitedly, holding his books as he stepped into the kitchen. "Wowie, that was fast!" He looked around the clean kitchen and smiled at you. "Wonderful work friend! Now, come; we must enjoy each other's company on the couch and learn more about pasta!" He gently grabbed your wrist with a slight flush to his cheekbones and led you and Undyne to the couch; sitting you on his lap and Undyne to his right. For a few hours, you three sat together and excitedly- for Papyrus, anyways- discussed what would be the best methods for cooking.

Undyne soon got a call from her girlfriend- which surprised you that she had one, but you thought it was pretty cute- and sighed. "Alphys needs some help with a project. Sorry I can't stay over tonight, Pap." Papyrus smiled, shaking his head.

"Oh please, don't worry! I understand. Now, go on and help out Alphys!" Undyne chuckled, rubbing his head affectionately before giving you a look.

"Remember what I said, okay?"

You nodded, giving a weak smile and she grinned back before waving and taking off into the cold. You moved to get up, but were quickly pulled back into Papyrus' lap. Looking up at him in question, the words died on your lips as you saw the loving look he was giving you before he leaned down and nuzzled your head.

"I... overheard you two talking," He talked softer than normal, your cheeks flushing as the words registered. "I do not know what we should label ourselves as, either. But you are my dear friend, and I will always protect you to the best of my abilities, too." You turned a bit to face him and smiled brightly, kissing his mandible.

"Thank you. I know you'll always be there for me. And I want to be there for you- and Sans too."

He grinned, hugging you closer and sighed; rubbing his skull against yours contently. Hearing Sans' door open, you peeked up from your comfortable position to see a tiredly grinning Sans. You grinned and motioned for him to join you, and soon the three of you relaxed on the couch with a bit of TV; enjoying the rest of your evening.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double date with Undyne and Alphys- and a small hiccup along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jebus in a toaster oven, you people are far too kind. I literally turn into a red faced, giggling puddle of goo every time I see your comments. Really makes my day. <3 Thank you so much for all the kind words! Please enjoy this chapter!  
> \-----

It wasn't long after the day you met Undyne that Alphys was introduced to you, and shyly offered a double date after learning about your relationship with the brother's. It surprised you that no one really seemed to care- or mind in the slightest- that you were close to both brothers instead of just one. It was as if the girls had expected it. Which probably actually made a lot of sense considering how close the brothers were. Not... dating wise between the two of them, but to where you noticed they loved each other as brother's would. It was sweet to watch them take care of each other.

You flushed as you looked down at your classy outfit that you bought for the occasion- it was a nice, long sleeved classy shirt and black slacks that hid your bandages and scars well- minus the ones on your face- and made sure to fluff your slightly damp hair to look a bit more natural before stepping out to the living room and smiling nervously at Alphys. You two got along rather well, despite the awkward meeting. "I-I sure hope those two don't t-take too long," She murmured, looking at her phone. "We'll be late if we don't leave soon..."

Undyne huffed, placing her arms on her hips. "Hey! Get down here already or I'll make you come down here! We're going to be late!" You winced slightly at the volume, but her shouting did the job well as Papyrus shouted back "We'll be down in a minute!". You idly played with the bandage on your wrist before scowling and stuffing your hands in your pockets. You were glad the girls were too lovey dovey with each other to take notice to your actions.

"We're ready!" Papyrus called from up the stairs and you smiled before looking up at them both and your mouth dropped in surprise. The brothers certainly knew how to clean up well. Sans was... rather fancy looking, surprisingly. Papyrus must have made him wear something fancy since you would be going to a high end restaurant. He was wearing a blue vest and a white classy shirt underneath it; complete with black slacks and comfy black shoes. You felt your lips drying and licked them, quickly looking away.

Papyrus was messing with his cuff links on his black jacket as you stared at him- black jacket, red classy shirt, a black tie, black slacks, and comfortable black shoes. You could feel your face heating up as you vaguely heard Undyne commenting on Papyrus' smooth looks. "You look fucking slick, you guys!" She praised, slapping Papyrus on the back good naturedly. He chuckled, puffing up his rib cage in pride, and you couldn't help but smile at the adorable action.

Sans chuckled next to you, and it was all you could do to repress a shudder as he slipped his hand into yours. "You alright over there? You look... bothered." Mustering up a glare at him- though with your face so red, it probably wasn't intimidating at all- his face didn't change from his shit eating grin as you huffed and pulled away, going over to Papyrus.

You could hear Sans quietly chuckling.

Papyrus noticed you walking over and smiled so wide, it hurt your own cheeks. "Friend! You look positively wonderful! I love your outfit!" A little too tongue tied at the moment, you flushed brighter and nodded, giving a semi-bright smile of your own.

"Alright you love birds; can it. We've got food to get to." Undyne grinned widely, taking a flustered Alphys by the hand before leading everyone to the car.

You slipped your hand into Papyrus', smiling with a chuckle. "You, uh, you look great Pap. I didn't know you could clean up so well." He blushed pink at the praise, rubbing the back of his head.

"I did receive some minor help from Mettaton; he helped with Sans' and my own outfits." You smiled brightly, hugging his arm close to your chest. "But thank you for the genuine compliment, friend! I do say I am rather charming in a suit!"

"You do, Pap; you look very handsome tonight." Glancing over at Sans to your right, you gave him a sly wink. “You both do.”

You could practically see steam rise from Papyrus’ cheeks as his brain- did he actually have a brain?- melted into goo, causing you to chuckle behind your hand. He was too cute sometimes. All the time. Whatever.

Sans merely flushed blue and chuckled to himself, adjusting his tie so it wasn’t as tight around his neck. You snickered, grabbing his hand as soon as it was free; linking your fingers with his bones, and giving it a squeeze. He squeezed back and gave you a fond, soft smile that you had seen him use on Papyrus more than a few times when he thought no one was looking. It made something in your chest and stomach feel fluttery.

Fumbling with Alphys' car door, Papyrus opened it for you and Sans before climbing in; face still burning pink. You bite your lip to keep your giggles at bay. Sans stretches his legs out a bit on your left and looks at you with a lazy grin. You couldn't help but beam happily at him; you were... just so friggin' happy!

"Everyone got their seat belts on?" Undyne gruffly asked, looking from the rear view mirror with a smug smile. Clicking yourself in, you gave her a thumbs up before she nodded to Alphys, who started up the car and drove to the restaurant.

You gently patted Papyrus' jumpy leg as you squeezed Sans' hand again, and sighed softly, closing your eyes. Tonight was going to be a lot of fun!

 

* * *

 

You snickered as Undyne sneakily pelted the very rude waiter with pieces of bread, trying so hard as to not laugh any louder. Alphys gave her a "That's really funny but please don't get us kicked out look", and Undyne relinquished her hold on the remaining pieces of bread with a dramatic sigh.

You had to bite your lip as the waiter came back over with a fake smile, asking if they'd like some more bread, and you quickly told him that you were all fine. With a nod, he refilled your water before leaving snootily; obviously disliking your company.

Which was fine, you liked your company. Hell, you loved your company. You gently squeezed Papyrus' hand and he looked over at you in surprise before gently squeezing it back with a shy smile. You hid your laughs behind your hand, cheeks hurting with how much you were smiling tonight.

Alphys sighed, smiling nervously as she adjusted her glasses. "This place is nice..." You and Undyne snorted, giving each other knowing looks. This place was too stuffy for any of you to really enjoy, and the people were rude. Nice was a stretch.

Stiffening, you give a half glare over at Sans who had idly began stroking your leg with a hand; his head propped up with the other. Flushing, you chose to ignore his touchy feely actions and focused on your food as it finally arrived. Papyrus gasped excitedly as he saw his pasta, thanking the waiter before happily digging in. You nodded to the waitress who handed you your food in thanks, enjoying the smell of fettuccine alfredo wafting through your nose.

Undyne grinned excitedly as her steak was presented before her, though she frowned a bit at the size. Alphys sighed softly at her baked potato and salad, comforted by the apparently familiar food. Sans nodded his head slightly as his burger and fries were delivered, quickly covering them in ketchup before digging in. It was a relatively nice dinner; and you were thankful you had asked for a table far away from the other people so Papyrus' naturally loud voice wouldn't disturb them as much, as he could not stop talking about how delicious the spaghetti was.

Finishing your meal, you sighed softly and rubbed your cheek. It was late, and you were growing a bit tired from the warm food in your belly. Sans chuckled to your left and you gave him a wry grin. He knew what was up.

Before you or anyone could do anything to stop it, Papyrus was soon asking a waiter if he could personally speak to the chef who made the spaghetti, and was brought to the kitchen to talk- but you couldn't help but get a bad vibe from the waiter who took him over to the kitchen. You had seen him once or twice talking to a few other waiters and glancing at your group’s direction. You didn’t trust it.

Sliding a look over to Undyne and Sans, you quietly excused yourself to the "bathroom" and slipped into the kitchen before anyone noticed. Hiding in plain sight was always a great advantage you had learned over the years.

You jumped as you heard Papyrus' voice call out from farther inside the kitchen, quickly sliding in and finding a door to the farthest wall that led outside. Opening it, you saw Papyrus backing away slowly from a few beefier looking waiters and chefs who were obviously intending to harm your skeleton.

Glaring sharply, you jumped off the railing of the steps in front of you and leapt on to the largest chef; grabbing hold and swinging around his neck before pulling him to the ground- quickly rolling away from him.

"Don't you dare try to hurt Papyrus," You called out coldly, standing in front of him with your arms spread out. The chefs looked at you with distasteful sneers and the ones who were not on the ground advanced forward. You stiffened, lowering yourself to charge at them, ready to fight, when all of a sudden the men glowed blue; floating into the air for a moment before simultaneously slamming into the opposite wall. Turning to look at Papyrus, you saw him, confused and looking towards the door where you saw Sans with an outstretched arm.

You sighed, your body relaxing and smiled thankfully at him. He always seemed to be there whenever you needed him. Turning to Papyrus, who seemed very distraught, you gently held his face and brought him close to yours; tenderly stroking his cheek bones to grasp his attention.

"Are you okay?" You asked, and he flushed, nodding as best he could in your hands.

"Th-thank you friend. I was worried when they suddenly pushed me outside. I didn't want to hurt anyone." You chuckled. Same ol' Papyrus. Gently kissing his cheek, you pulled away and took his hand, leading him over to Sans.

"Thanks for that. I was worried for a second there." You grinned, and Sans gave you a tired grin in return. He was probably tired from expelling that magic, and you honestly couldn't blame him. The adrenaline was definitely going out of your system fast.

Undyne burst through the door, spear in hand, and sighed as she noticed the action had already been taken care of. "Really? You didn't save any ass whooping for me?" You chuckled, patting her arm consolingly. There was always next time.

After talking to the manager and explaining the situation to the police- who Alphys had called- you all left and continued your date on the couch back home with some Nice cream, popcorn, and bad ‘anime’- Alphys nearly going crazy when she heard you ask what it was. She sat you down on the couch and began explaining everything- and you mean  _ everything _ .

It was fun getting to loosen up and relax around good company; Papyrus and Undyne tossing Popcorn at each other, Sans cracking jokes that you actually understood (you didn’t get the jokes that Alphys tended to snort at; probably something… sciencey that you never learned about), Undyne cheering loudly whenever there was a fight scene on the TV- which was often- and everyone just genuinely enjoying each others company.

Sitting between Sans and Papyrus on the couch, you gave a small yawn and a soft smile as you slowly drifted off to sleep; feeling more peaceful than you ever had, knowing that everyone around you was safe.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares and hallucinations. Things aren't going super well for Reader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to everything that is kind and happy, you people are so sweet. Thank you so much for reading my story; it makes me so happy. <3  
> EDIT: I'm super sorry if I'm flooding your emails with posting/updating the story, but for some reason, the format keeps becoming wonky no matter how I change it. Deepest apologies!  
> \-----

"Human friend, are you... alright?"

You looked up at Papyrus as he called out, noting how worried he was looking and you gave a dry chuckle. "I'll be fine Pap'. Just tired." You ran your hand through your hair, which was tangled slightly from the restless "sleep" you had last night. You didn't really call it sleep anymore, considering you didn't get any.

"Are you certain? Perhaps you should go back to bed." Grumbling, you didn't answer and stewed over your cup of tea, feeling angry at everything. You had the same- well, somewhat same- nightmare for the past few days now, and it was really bothering you that they came out of nowhere.

"Hey Pap', bud. What's up? You're looking a little down." Sans called, moving to sit across from you at the table. You halfheartedly waved at him in greeting, not answering as you took a sip from your cup.

"They aren't feeling well, Sans. Very tired." Papyrus told him for you, sitting down next to you in his own seat. You patted Papyrus' hand consolingly, silently telling him you'll be alright.

Sans rose an eyebone and hummed. "You probably shouldn't go to work today in that case. Don't want you hurting yourself."

You waved him off, finishing your tea and setting the cup in the sink. "I'll be fine. Just need a morning shower." You huffed, heading up the stairs. You never noticed the concerned looks from either skeleton as you grabbed your clothes and headed to a nice, hot shower.

 

* * *

 

Work was... slow. As usual.

You grunted as you picked up box after box, placing them in the necessary places; wiping the sweat off your brow. You were always hot during work- never allowing yourself to take off your hoodie so no one could question why you were littered in bandages- few did actually know what you did on a near daily basis, and others you weren’t sure if they approved of monsters all too well- but at least the warehouse had air conditioning. You huffed slightly as you took a short break and took a swig of your water before putting it back on your work belt and heading for more boxes.

The area was relatively quiet- save for the occasional beeping of trucks backing up, loud complaints of your fellow workers, and the sounds of boxes shuffling around. You kept to yourself, either listening to your own music from your tiny MP3 that you had snagged from a pawn shop (with one free ear so you could hear if someone called for you), or just enjoying the noises of the warehouse.

Stepping up into a section of boxes that were placed in a fort-formation, you quickly began taking the smaller ones from the top and stacking three on top of each other before picking them up at once, grunting at the slight strain on your legs. Backing up slowly you paused as your body bumped into another, craning your head around.

"Shit, sorry-!"

You yelped, the boxes slipping from your hold as you stumbled forward- your body twisting around automatically- and fell to the ground on your ass with a sharp thud, shivering in fear. That same monster that had been haunting your nightmares was standing before you- white face with black, soulless eyes; a pained smile stretched across its face as his oozing, black form of a body struggled to keep itself upright- staring at you with a heated intensity that had your hair standing on end and your core shrinking in fright.

You skittered away, back into the box fort and shuddered; hiding your face with your hands as you whimpered in fear.  _ 'Go away, go away, go away, go away-!' _

With another yelp, you looked up at your co-worker who was touching your arm; staring at you in bewilderment and confusion. "Ah, you uh- you alright there pal?" He looked rather frazzled at your shivering state, looking afraid to touch you anymore as you tried to calm down; gripping your locket as your body shuddered. You nodded sharply, body not ceasing its shivers as you tried to regain your voice and breathing.

"Y-y-yeah... s'f-fine..." You took a gulp of air, sitting upright instead of laying on the ground and ran a hand through your hair.

"Look, ah, I won't tell anyone what happened if you don't want me to, but," He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "You really look like you need a break. Go... take a nap or something. I'll keep your stuff covered here."

You would have told him you were fine if you could just stop shaking, but he hauled you up to your feet and awkwardly dusted off your shoulders before scooting you towards the break room, and began picking up the slightly dented boxes you had thrown in your scare.   
  
Rubbing your face, you stumbled your way over to the break room and sighed; collapsing on a free chair. "What the fuck was that...?" You muttered to yourself, gritting your teeth as your body was still mildly shaking. Disgusted with yourself, you stood and aggressively slid in five dollars into the vending machine and bought a snack- quickly pocketing your change- before starting to munch on your treat.

Pausing, you stiffened as you saw movement behind you in the window of the vending machine and grit your teeth as your body shook again. It was just a co-worker. Someone you didn't notice. It was fine. A hand placed itself on your shoulder and it was all you could do to not scream; stiffening against the sudden hold.

"Hey, can I borrow a dollar?" You snarled at Johnny- the known schmoozer in the warehouse- and slapped his hand away before stomping out of the break room. You vaguely heard a call of "The hell was that about?", before you headed back to your spot; pocketing your half eaten snack. The rest of your day was spent hurriedly moving boxes and keeping an eye behind you at all times.

 

* * *

 

"So," Sans drawled, sitting casually next to you on the couch. You were in a bundle of blankets as soon as you came home- only removing your shoes haphazardly by the door- and refused to talk to anyone; making it a point to show you had a bad day. "Do you wanna order a pizza and watch a movie? Or I could just tickle you until you smile. Either one works for me." You scowled slightly at him, though there wasn't much force behind the action as it pleased you to know that he was trying to make you feel better- and sighed.

"I'll be fine. Just... give me a moment."

And he did. Sans merely pulled you onto his lap and stroked your head softly; not commenting on how your body stiffened at his touch at first or why you were shaking. You kept quiet, burying your face in his lap as you tried to forget the horrifying face of that gooey monster that kept visiting you. 

When you finally calmed down, you pulled your face away from his lap and shifted so you could lay it on his chest and hug him at the same time. He chuckled, continuing his petting after you shifted and fell back against him. 

"Must've been a rough day. You wanna talk about it?"

You shook your head after a moment of contemplating it. "No. S'fine. Just... just need to relax is all." He nodded and cracked a grin.

"I can help with that. How about we go to Grillby's and unwind a bit, hm?" You smiled, finally, and nodded. Grillby's would definitely take your mind off things; it always had. Quickly changing out of your work clothes and sprucing up a bit, you slid on your shoes and walked out with Sans; enjoying the comfortable silence you two had.

It was still very chilly from the winter- it being late December- and your thoughts idly went to the Holidays. You wondered if the monsters knew or celebrated New Years and made a note to ask about it later.

Sidling up to the bar stools you and Sans had silently claimed as your own- you never saw anyone else sitting there- quickly ordered some burgers, fries, and a soda for yourself, before sighing and stretching. "Knock, knock," Sans tapped his metacarpals on the counter, causing your lips to curve up in a smile.

"Who's there?" He grinned, leaning against the counter.

"Olive." You flushed, already knowing where this was headed.

"...Olive who?" You quietly replied, face looking down. He pulled your chin up so you would face him, and the smile on his face wasn't a normal smile, but a more affectionate and fonder look than usual.

"Olive you."

You chuckled softly, leaning over to kiss his skull before taking his hand and holding it. "Olive you too." He grinned, his face pure blue as he sighed softly.

You grinned back, reaching over and knocked on the counter yourself. "Knock, knock." Chuckling, he shrugged before pulling his hand away from yours.

"Who's there?"

You grinned, sitting up excitedly. "Mike Snifferpippets."

His eyebones angled downward, and you could tell he was having a hard time thinking of anything funny for it. "...Mike Snifferpippets who?"

You snorted, pretending to look offended. "Oh, come on; how many Mike Snifferpippets do you know?" You grinned, laughing to yourself as Sans quietly chuckled alongside you; shaking his head slowly.

"That was bad." You nodded, still grinning. It was pretty bad.

Your food arrived not long after, and soon you two were digging in; chatting idly about everything. It was when you saw something out of the corner of your eye move and you glanced over to see who the newcomer was; dropping your fry that was in your hand in surprise. It was the same gooey monster from before. His face was strained, looking like someone was forcing him to smile against his will, and you could feel your body shaking as you tried to catch your breath.   
  
You jumped when Sans gently placed his hand on your arm; flinching as your knee harshly slammed against the bottom of the counter. Hissing you reached down to rub it, laying your head on the counter. "Whoa, you alright?"

Grunting, you didn't dare look back over to your right- making sure to avoid looking back at all costs and gave Sans a weak smile. "F-f-fine." You mentally groaned as you noticed you were shivering again; trying to force your body to calm down. It was obvious that Sans wasn't taking your word for it, if his narrowed eye sockets told you anything, but he didn't comment as he gently rubbed your back and stared past your shoulders, over to where the gooey monster had been.

Sitting up slowly, you gave Grillby a wave to let him know you were alright and pointedly looked at your food. This was getting to be too much. You felt like you were slowly going insane. Sighing, you tiredly rubbed your face and looked over at Sans.

"S-sorry about that." He shrugged, still calmly rubbing your back.

"S'fine. I'm guessing something similar to this happened at work?" You looked away, slightly ashamed, but nodded regardless. He patted your back before slowly sliding his hand off of it, moving to hold your free hand.

"Knock, knock." He called, leaning his hand against his head. You shook your head, chuckling dryly. Was this really the time?

"Who's there?" You questioned anyways, knowing the short skeleton wouldn't let up until you answered. He frowned suddenly, looking at you intently.

"Goliath." You pursed your lips and furrowed your eyebrows.

"Goliath... who?"

"Goliath down, thou looketh tired." You snorted before realizing how serious Sans was. Flushing, you shook your head and picked at your food.

"Can't." He sat up straighter, trying to peer at your face as you tried to hide it further.

"Why not?" When you didn't answer, he sighed and gripped your hand tighter.

"I think I've been pretty patient, buddy," He looked rather tired with the game you were playing, and it couldn't help but make you feel a bit guilty. You shook your head, but squeezed his hand.

"Not here. Home." He nodded, though reluctantly, and let you remain quiet- but continued holding your hand for the rest of your meal.

 

* * *

 

 

You knocked on the door as Sans was getting out his key, holding a finger to your lips that were curved into a mischievous grin. "Who's there?" Papyrus' voice called out, and you held back a snicker.

"Al." You heard slight grumbling on the other side, knowing Papyrus was probably complaining about the ‘ridiculous joke’.

"Al who?" You shrugged, wearing a shit eating grin.

"Al give you a kiss if you open the door."

There was a pause before the door slid open, revealing a pink cheek boned Papyrus on the other side. Chuckling, you walked in and planted a kiss on his teeth; not minding the way his bones clattered against each other from his nervousness. Sans laughed behind you as you pulled away from the obviously flustered Papyrus and you grinned, patting his armor before taking off your shoes and stepping over to the couch. Sans closed the door and looked up at Papyrus. "You alright there bro? You're looking pretty red."

"I'M FINE!" Papyrus shouted, stiffly walking back into the kitchen to continue whatever he had been doing while you two were gone. Sans laughed quietly with you, taking his place on the couch by your side. You sighed softly, clicking on the TV and removed your scarf from around your neck; slowly placing your extra clothes on the coffee table. Leaving on your hoodie and comfortable pants, you pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and snuggled close to Sans- who was only mildly surprised at your actions.

"...Can we talk about it now?" He quietly mumbled after a moment, hands casually running through your hair. Your eyes started to close on their own before you could reply, and you vaguely remember hearing a chuckle before falling asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally talk to Sans about your nightmares, and he gives you a glimpse into memories past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho-kay, so. This is probably my least favourite chapter. I kept thinking about rewriting it all last night, but I didn't know how exactly, so I ended up leaving it as is. Let me know if you think I should adjust it any, alright? I value your comments above all else.  
> \------

You woke up with a start, heart beating sporadically in your chest as sweat rolled down your body. Panting heavily, you looked around to find the room dark; your body horribly tangled in your blanket. Groaning, you laid your head back down on your pillow with a small "thump", and rubbed your eyes tiredly; seeing a flash of the monster that had been the focus of your nightmares for the past week now behind your eyelids.

You fight the shudder that threatened to rock through your body and with a grunt, you heaved yourself off the bed. After living with the brothers for a while, they reconstructed the house a bit to give you your own room. It was directly in between theirs, and was a little small, but you were just happy to actually have some place to call your own, so you didn't mind. It was home, and you loved it.

Stumbling not so quietly and cursing under your breath, you somehow made it downstairs without breaking anything and went to the kitchen; grabbing a glass and filling it with water. Taking a swig, you sighed and rubbed your sweaty face; wrinkling your nose in distaste. You needed to take a bath soon.

Glancing at the clock on the microwave, you groaned mentally as it was only two in the morning. You wouldn't be able to clean yourself up until Papyrus woke up- and that wasn't for another hour or two. The guy never really slept long, to your surprise. You supposed monsters didn't really have to. Magic stuff, probably.

Though Sans was always suspiciously taking naps around the house, and offered for you to join him on more than one occasion. Maybe it was just Papyrus, you thought with a chuckle.

Turning and setting the now emptied cup in the sink, your body nearly jumped out of your skin as you held down the urge to scream. At the end of the kitchen was that mesh of black ooze and white face from your dreams, staring at you and whispering at you as soon as you noticed him. Your body shook as you scrambled backwards, no words coming out of your mouth but whimpers as it trailed closer-  _ closer-! _

"H-Hey, pal; come on, what's wrong?"

Snapping your eyes open, your eyes adjusted to the light as you stared at a concerned Sans who was standing at the edge of your bed. Swallowing the bile that was rising in your throat, you hurriedly looked around the bedroom, noticing that nothing was different and you hadn't actually gotten out of bed. Pinching your arm, you winced at the pain but sighed in relief.

"Buddy?" Sans tried again, sitting at the edge of your bed. You didn't reply but quickly moved over and hugged him tightly, whimpering and hiding your face in the crook of his vertebrae and clavicle. He grew silent, only holding you and rubbing your back slowly to sooth you. Soon your body ceased its shaking- when had it started?- and you sighed softly, relaxing into his hold; occasionally sniffling and rubbing your tears aggressively off your face.

"...You want to talk about it now?" He asked, petting your hair softly and gave you a gentle knowing look. You sighed again, not really wanting to talk- but you were so sick of not getting any damn sleep. Glaring at the floor, you gritted your teeth.

"There's this... stupid thing that keeps haunting my dreams. It's a big, and black gooey body with a white face- it's broken around the eyes and has that stupid, stupid smile-" You gripped your hands tight, feeling anger slide through you for a moment before sighing and releasing the feeling. "...I don't know who or what it is, but he won't leave me alone."

"He?" Sans questioned, looking more towards you.

You nodded, holding on to his hand for comfort. "Yeah. He keeps... trying to talk to me in my dreams. I don't understand him- it's like some weird language." You wrinkled your nose, trying your best to remember him in full. "...At times he's... relatively nice. Other times... he looks like he wants to... eat me, or something." You gripped the your locket with your free hand, feeling a shiver go through your spine. In a flash, Sans' hand was removed from yours and rubbed circles on your back to keep you calm; and you sighed, leaning against him in response. It felt nice to be comforted after so long.

Looking down at your lap, you shivered again, remembering one last detail.

"Oh... this probably doesn't mean anything, but... his hands..." You trailed off slightly as Sans' body stiffened underneath yours, frowning. Did he know something? "They had... holes in the middle of them." Sans' face was tight with an emotion you couldn't quite discern. He looked... fearful? Terrified? Angry? It was hard to tell. His grip on you tightened, and he rubbed his face with his free hand. "Sans? Are you okay?" You gently rubbed his humerus that was wrapped around your shoulders and frowned as he sighed.

"Ah... it'll be fine, kiddo. Don't worry about it."

You glared slightly, putting a bit more pressure between your thumb and forefinger to "pinch" his bone, giving him a look as he snapped his head to you. "Don't give me that, Sans. What's wrong? Do you know the guy?" He looked away, waving you off again, causing you to grit your teeth. Didn't he trust you?

Snapping up, you stood in front of him with a glare set on your face that would probably set a few things ablaze with the intensity they were giving off. "I just had a nightmare within a nightmare- something that's been happening for a  _ week _ \- and you tell me not to worry about it and wave me off like it's nothing?!" You huffed and puffed, your hands clenching at your sides.

You knew that it was probably because you were tired and cranky, but you couldn’t help but feel offended. You didn’t want to share anything before because it seemed stupid and silly at the time- but now that the nightmares had been going on for this long, you needed help. And if Sans knew anything, he should be wanting to help to stop it.

Sans sat there, looking up at you in surprise at your sudden anger and chuckled dryly, rubbing his face. "Yeah, I guess I did. Not the right thing to say, huh?" He patted the seat you were just on and gave a tired, not so happy look. "C'mon pal. I need to tell you a story..." Grumbling you sat back at your spot and faced him; your arms underneath your legs as you propped your head on your knees.

"It started way back when, in the Underground some time ago..."

 

* * *

 

"Dr. Gaster, it's finished."

A very smooth, white face shot up from a computer, his expression showing delight. Standing up from his seat, Dr. Wing Ding Gaster walked over to a table where a younger Sans was standing with a tired grin. Scattered across the table were a series of blueprints with scribbles of somewhat legible handwriting here, and drawings of machines there. Signing to Sans, Gaster asked,  _ "Will it work?" _

Sans shrugged, though having worked on it for the past week, he was certain there was only a slight chance of failure that could happen. "We'll have to see. We'll need one of those test subjects soon." Gaster's expression fell a bit, nodding solemnly. It wasn't easy to use those that had fallen down for experiments, but it was all they had at the moment.

_ "Shall we begin?" _ Sans nodded and left to gather the needed supplies. Big changes were going to happen soon.

It took weeks- months, even- to gather all the necessary supplies for the project. The goal was simple; create a working time machine that could help alter basic events. Nothing gigantic, of course- time streams were a hassle just to keep watch on, much less deal with in tandem- but smaller things. It would eventually turn into a bigger goal- a way to break the barrier for good without the use of human souls.

But. Baby steps.

Sans wiped his brow as he stepped back from his spot where he had been cleaning and checking the machine; taking a good look at it as a whole. It was a piece of work for sure; something he wanted to kiss for just bringing him so much hope. If it worked well, it could help the whole underground in the long run, much like the Core.

Sans turned as the door opened to show Gaster with a fallen monster in his arms; carrying him over to the operation table. It was never easy seeing one of their own near death like this. But if the time machine worked as it should...

No. It would work. It had to.

Finishing his last few checkups on the machine, Sans patted the hunk of glorious metal before stepping away. Gaster finished strapping in the child with lines that would trail the power of the machine to them and only them- making sure to take delicate care of the body.   
  
After giving each other the okay, they stepped into the safe area and closed the door; watching from a two way mirror. Grasping a recording device, Sans clicked the play button and began speaking. "Subject 01 strapped and ready for the first test of the Time Machine. Signs of machine are stable, and we shall begin the first experiment."

Gaster nodded at Sans before pulling a lever; sending the machine to charge the child with energy. What hopes the two scientists had vanished in a flash as a bright white light seared their eyes before vanishing along with the child. Running into the room, the two looked around and found no traces of the child that had been there before.

With a sigh, Sans pulled the recorder to his mouth. "Subject 01 has vanished. They've been... erased."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find out what happened to Gaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, gushing moment, please excuse- but I can’t believe I’ve actually made a story go up to the tenth chapter, and not feel like it’s soul sucking. I love the the feeling of generous love you guys are giving me for this story and I can’t thank you all enough for sticking along for the ride. (No, it’s not finished yet; don’t worry, mwehehe~!)
> 
> Thanks for encouraging me to keep writing you guys. It means the world to me.  
> \------

_Again, and again, and again._

_Days; weeks; months went by without any change._

_Fallen monsters were erased one by one; and soon, the scientists were growing anxious._

"Gaster please, I've told you so many times; _it's not ready!_ " Sans shouted, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. The two of them were at the lab at the dead of the Underground night; angrily discussing what the time machine was and wasn't ready for yet again.

Gaster frowned angrily at Sans, his hands waving around in his own frustration, but Sans cut his gestures off, not caring about politeness anymore. He wanted his friend safe, damn it. To hell with keeping polite. "You know very well that you could be erased by using it, don't you? Just give it a few more months, _please._ "

Gaster signed wildly at that point. _"We don't have a few more months, Sans! We're running out of time and resources. We can't keep doing this for much longer, and you know that."_   Turning away from him, Gaster stepped over to the machine and placed his hand on it. Sans grew increasingly nervous from the determined look on Gaster's face; grunting as he was suddenly shoved by Gaster's powers out of the room. The door closed faster than he could react- and locked into place.

Slamming his hands on the door, he cried out Gaster's name; banging wildly and repeatedly. "Gaster, please, don't do this! We still have time!" Gaster looked up after attaching the last piece of equipment to his body, giving a small smile. A smile that told Sans that everything would be okay. Flipping his hand, Sans snapped his head over to the lever as Gaster's powers moved it; jumping over to push it back up. " _NO!_ "

With an all too familiar flash, Sans winced as he was blinded for what felt like an eternity before quickly standing as the machine gave a loud keening sound; pieces shaking and falling apart one by one. He jumped over and unlocked the door with a hidden emergency button, running in. Sans stared in horror as Gaster's body wasn't gone like the other test subjects, but like a puddle of gelatinous liquid that flopped this way and that.

“Ho-holy shit… D-Doc, are you…?”  
  
Reaching over, Sans flinched as Gaster's body let out an ear piercing screech; the body racing away as fast as he could from him and vanished from sight. "Gaster?! No, Gaster, come back!" Sans ran around the room, looking everywhere desperately for his co-worker and friend; nearing tears as he slumped to the ground in front of the machine.

Scowling up at it after a few moments of self pity, he stood up and kicked the machine in a fit of anger- which only resulted in hurting his foot and a low whine from the machine. Grunting and resisting the urge to rub the injured foot, he slammed his fist into the machine and laid his head on it. All their work. All their findings. His friend. _Gone._

Glaring at the machine, he swore under his breath as he opened up the machine's chassis and began fiddling around with the wires. If that hadn't worked, then he had one more thing to try. Slapping the chassis closed with more force than necessary, Sans took a breath before his mind caught up with what he was about to do. Looking around the room, his body slumped as his eyes fell on a picture at his table in the lab. It had himself, Gaster, and Papyrus- his beautiful baby brother- all together, smiling happily.

Picking it up, he gently stroked Papyrus' face on the picture before placing it back down. Squaring his shoulders, he walked back over to the machine, filled with a high level of determination that he had never felt before. It burned through his soul and he strapped himself in before starting up the machine.

He had to do it. It had to be right.

He couldn't be erased- or whatever happened to Gaster. He needed to come back- for Papyrus' sake.

He could do it.

His body was soon thrown into a series of convulsions- the machine's power coursing through his soul and magic and he cried out in pain as his eyes burned with a level of pure agony that he hadn't thought possible. It was only when he came into consciousness a few hours- days?- later that he realized what happened.

The time machine, which had finally worked, was destroyed completely from the last use. Burnt, sizzling, falling apart more now than before, and making distorted noises; Sans could only be so happy that he was just still here. Alive.  
  
That was enough for him- for now.   
  
Gathering himself, Sans noticed something off as he glanced at the window and saw the reflection of himself. His eyes were a dark, heavy, and tinged blue. Looking to his hands, he noticed they, too, were glowing blue. His powers shouldn't be activated. He hadn't been using them. Was this a side effect?

He didn't expect to come out normally, but this wasn't something that he thought too odd, either. Looking over at the picture, Sans instinctively reached out to grab it, and as soon as the thought entered his mind, the same blue aura covering his hands and eyes were affixed to the picture; and suddenly he was standing exactly in front of his desk, and certainly not where he was standing just mere moments before. His mind whirling at his new powers, he looked down at the picture with a grim look on his face.

Gaster was no longer in the picture.

 

* * *

 

You stayed quiet with Sans, processing the story you just heard while playing with his hand in deep thought. So the monster that was haunting you was his ex-co-worker, _who was erased from_ _time,_ and was obviously trying to communicate something to you.  
  
Blinking at the thought, you gently nudged an exhausted Sans. "Hey, you said he did weird hand motion stuff to you, right? Like a signing thing?" At his nod, you grinned excitedly. "Why don't you just teach me some signs so I can talk to him and understand him in my dreams, or when I’m awake?"

He was a bit slow to it, but his frown seemed to deepen at the thought. "...No. I don't want you talking to him. The way he is now- he's not sane, I'm sure. Hell he wasn't all that sane to begin with." He chuckled, shaking his head, before dropping his smile back into a small frown. "Being simultaneously erased from existence and still being able to watch the world go around without you, like nothing is different... it can't be easy for him."

You frowned. "Well, obviously. But that doesn't mean just because I know his backstory that he'll stop coming into my dreams." You look at him, pulling on his mandible forcing him to look at you, and you frowned softly. "I want to sleep, Sans. I'm so tired- and I'm sure you are too. I know this isn't easy on you to hear that I can see your... erased co-worker and friend in my dreams, but it isn't easy for me either. The faster we find out what he wants from me- the better."

You could see his mind working at a fast pace as his eyes show his emotions in flashes- grief, anger, sorrow, concern, and finally acceptance. With a sigh, he nodded, and relented. "Alright. You're really tying my hands here, kiddo." You hugged him close and littered his head with kisses until he chuckled and lightly pushed you away. "Alright, alright- I get it, heh. Thanks." You smiled softly, pressing one last kiss on his cheekbone before pulling away with a yawn.

Sans hummed before slipping off his slippers on to the floor; scooting back on the bed. "We'll do it later. I'm sure you probably can't really keep your eyes open right now." You frowned, slightly afraid to sleep, but with a bit of poking and guiding, you laid down with Sans on your bed; holding him close.

"I'm right here if you need me," He spoke, his mandible vibrating against the top of your head as your face pushed against his chest. "I won't leave you. I promise." With that final thought in your head, you finally closed your eyes and were soon enough whisked off to dreamland…

 

* * *

 

You woke up a few hours later, still clinging on to Sans. You were still very groggy, and you would have rolled over, but you noticed you couldn't move. Blinking your bleary eyes, you carefully looked around knowing Sans alone wasn't holding you down.

A quick glance at your legs told you as much.

Sitting on top of you and your legs was the gooey body of Gaster, who was sitting there with a smile. Fighting the urge to scream, you gulped harshly and ignored the hair that was raising on the back of your neck. You couldn't hold back your shivers, though; the tremors rushing through your body like waves.

Soon enough, and all too soon, Gaster began whispering incoherent words to you. You tried to move, but with every shift, Gaster's body moved up to hold you down. You whimpered, unable to look away from him as your body shuddered with fear. His smile turned to a brighter grin as Gaster looked over to see the snoozing Sans next to you. He seemed... pleased? Proud? His distorted face was making it near impossible to tell, but you could gather enough that he seemed happy with Sans, and that you two were sleeping next to each other.

Which was very, very odd.

His hands that had holes in the middle of them soon appeared and gently ran them over Sans' head- from what you could see, anyways. Your body still refused to move, and your one open eye wasn't being relinquished from its captivated hold on Gaster's form. Soon the hands move over to you, and if you could have flinched, you probably would have. He gave a slight cooing noise that flitted over your ears as he patted your cheeks softly.

It was surprisingly gentle. His cold hands patted your cheeks gently, comfortingly, and they spoke volumes past the incoherent babble you heard coming from his mouth. He wasn't trying to be mean, or cruel, just trying to... tell you something. Something that involved Sans?

The calm that settled over you was soon replaced with unadulterated fear as Gaster's voice became a static like sound that bounced around the room- his "body" began to overcome yours; melting on top of you and Sans. Clinging to Sans' body as best you could, you whimpered at the cold, gooey feeling running over your body.

Waking up was a blessing as Sans slapped your face- gently- to wake you up. Snapping your eyes open, you gasped for air as you rolled away from Sans; falling with a grunt on the ground. You panted, body shaking and quivering beyond your control as you tried to calm down; curling into a ball of whimpers that didn't quite turn into words.

"H-hey, are you alright?" The question seemed too familiar as Sans peeked from over the edge of the bed, staring at you with untold amounts of concern and worry. You nodded despite the tears that were growing at the edges of your eyes, and Sans shushed you softly as he stepped down and wrapped you in a hug. You were both quiet for a long time, and just tried to sort out your thoughts.

You tugged on Sans' shirt and licked your lips softly as you tried to calm your aching head. "H-he was... there again." He nodded, running his phalanges through your hair to calm you down. "He... he was trying to tell me something again. He saw you, and... he looked happy, almost..." You stared at the ground, brain working slightly slower from the scare. "He looked _proud_ as he saw us lying next to each other. Patted your head, and then my face before..." You wrinkled your nose in distaste. "That last part was probably just a dream."

He chuckled and looked slightly out of it at your proclamation. "So... he looked happy?" Looking at your face, he searched it for answers. "Like actually happy?" You smiled softly, and nodded.  
  
"As far as I could tell, anyways. It wasn't really easy for me to read him, considering... but either way; yeah, he looked happy." A weight looked like it was lifted off of Sans' shoulders, and he suddenly looked years younger as he gave a genuine smile. He rubbed his eye a bit and muttered to himself about "asshole friends" and you just chuckled in response.

Sighing, he hugged you close and "kissed" your head. "Thanks. I'm... I'm glad he's happy. I hope he stays happy. He didn't deserve for his life to be erased like that." You nodded, squeezing one of his hands in response. It was about time Sans finally had something to be relieved about. The stress of that night probably ate away at him for years.  
  
You stretched, bones popping from staying in one place for so long, and you sighed in relief- vaguely noticing Sans' cheekbones turning blue at the sound- and sagged back against his form.

"Can we actually sleep now?" He laughed softly, somehow easily picking you up and setting you back on your bed.

It was when you both went to lay down that a knock came on your door, and Papyrus popped his head through. "Friend! It's time to- oh!" He flushed, noticing his brother next to you. "I apologize if I was interrupting something." You smiled and shook your head, motioning him over.

"Come on, we're just about to go back to bed. It's been a rough night for the both of us." Papyrus looked upset at hearing that you both had a tough time, but quickly bounced back with a smile.

"Oh, I see! One moment then; I shall return with something that should help!"

Leaving and returning in a flash, Papyrus pulled up your loveseat next to the bed and pulled out a book. "This is my favourite book and it always helps me sleep. I hope it helps you out too!" You smiled, so thankful to have such a close and caring friend like Papyrus eager to make things better. Snuggling close to Sans, you listened as Papyrus told the story of Fluffy Bunny; soon drifting into a peaceful, nightmare free slumber.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taco date night with the boys and girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited for the next few chapters. I can't wait to see your reactions, hehe!  
> I actually can't seem to stop writing anything for this story .////. I just wanna keep going and going. It might actually be getting a plot at some point, believe it or not. Let's wait and see, shall we? <3
> 
> Enjoy the immense fluff in this chapter! <3  
> \------

It was a while after the nightmares had ceased and you could sleep alone again. Gaster made it a habit to pop in every once in awhile, and while you didn't mind- because he certainly seemed lonely, now that you had a chance to look at him instead of freaking out in pure terror- you could really only handle so many sleepless nights.

The guy had a weird way of ending dreams.

It was date night for you, Papyrus, Sans, Alphys, and Undyne, and you were the one designated to cook for it- specifically chosen by Papyrus after him giving the okay. Undyne and he had been teaching you how to cook, and you were definitely doing better than what you would have been on your own. The two of them were great motivators.

"Ow!" You hissed as some oil popped up from the frying pan, harshly sizzling on your skin. You pouted and glared at your pan, as if to reprimand it alone with your stare. It merely sizzled back, and you sighed, grabbing what you needed from the pantry.

You always tended to eat spaghetti whenever Papyrus was around, or pizza- or hotdogs- whenever Sans was involved, but this time you were going to make your favourite meal; warm and delicious tacos!

Setting the tortillas on the counter, you saw Papyrus' head peek in from around the corner. "Is everything alright, friend?" He called, causing you to smile. He was quite the worry-wart, no matter the situation.

Nodding, you grabbed three plates and placed some paper towels on them. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit of oil splashed on me, no big deal." He gasped and quickly ran over to you, picking you up and setting you on the counter while simultaneously looking for wounds. "I knew I should have let Sans call take out! You are now injured! Are you in need of medical assistance?"

You snickered, softly pressing a kiss on Papyrus' forehead. "No you goof, I told you I'm fine." His cheekbones flushed, and he hugged you tightly; his head pressed snuggly into your chest.

"Thank goodness! The Great Papyrus was worried he would have to take over cooking for you." You chuckled at his cuteness and patted his head before gently pushing him away and hopping off the counter.

"I'm fine Pap, promise. Here, you can even stay with me to make sure I don't get hurt again if you want."

He grew starry eyed as he bounced up and down in his spot; eagerly watching you work. The smell of hamburger and refried beans soon filled the air, and Sans poked his head into the kitchen. "Smells great in here. What are you making?"

You smiled brightly at the compliment before sliding a tortilla into the oil pan, causing it to sizzle loudly. "Tacos! They're my favourite comfort food, and great for big groups." Carefully flipping the tortilla, you made sure to look out for any more splashes before sliding it on to the paper towel covered plate. Doing this a few more times, you handed Papyrus and Sans their plates- instructing them on how to fill their tacos- before finally making your own

After sliding the last tortilla onto your own plate, Sans tugged at your sleeve, causing you to look down. He made a "come here" motion with his finger, and as you bent down, your cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of red as he gently bumped his face against yours; rubbing it against your cheek. Pulling away, you stared at him wide eyed. "Heh. Thanks for making dinner. We really appreciate it."

Giving a him a smile, you leaned down and covered his face in kisses before pulling away with a laugh. His eyes were half lidded and he had a slight dreamy look on his face. "You're welcome, mister funny bones."

Papyrus huffed and pulled you close to him before rubbing his face against yours- similarly to his brother's. "I want to kiss them too! Nyeh heh heh!" You laughed before turning around and planting multiple kisses on his face too; his cheeks turning an even brighter pink than before.

"Wowie! You're very affectionate tonight, friend. Perhaps it is because of the cooking? We should let them cook more often, Sans!" Sans looked at you with a wink, agreeing. Trying in vain to hide your laughter, you shook your head and quickly made your tacos- after finishing up the girl's tacos as well- before taking your boys to the living room to watch some movies.

Squishing all together on the couch, you handed Alphys and Undyne their plates before getting comfy and started to dig in when you noticed everyone was staring. "Uh... somethin' on my face?"

Alphys flushed, looking away and nervous. "We, ah, d-don't actually know how to eat this."

Making an "oh" face, you flushed and scratched your cheek. "Sorry about that. Kinda forgot you guys don't normally eat human food. Ah..." You quickly grabbed a taco, showing them how exactly to pick it up. "And then you just... eat it." Tilting your head to the side, you bit into the warm taco and sighed at the flavour; the refried beans complimenting your special (special as in store bought, but still) mild sauce perfectly.

Sans shrugged, tilting his head and carefully biting into the taco, chewing thoughtfully before giving you a thumbs up; too enamored by eating to talk. Papyrus was in a similar state- though he seemed to be just throwing caution to the wind and eating it messily. You snorted at the awed look in his eye sockets. Seems like spaghetti had a competitor for first place in his list of favourites.  
  
Alphys was a lot more cautious on how to eat the food- unlike Undyne who was excitedly stuffing the food in her mouth and dropping a lot of the hamburger back on to her plate- studying the meal meticulously before slowly taking a bite. Her face scrunched up a bit as some sour cream was stuck on her nose, and you couldn't help but chuckle at it.

"Hey, uh, Undyne; your girlfriend seems to be in a bind." You sneakily say, motioning to your nose. Undyne looked confused before turning to the flustered dino-lizard and smirked.

"You look adorable. C'mere." You laughed with Sans as Undyne quickly jumped Alphys and began cleaning her face- your cheeks turning red as Undyne licked her girlfriend's face clean- before turning back to the movie with a satisfied hum. "Heh, thanks. Let me know if you make another mess." Undyne smugly went back to her meal, leaving a completely flustered and red faced Alphys to sit in a daze. She mumbled to herself, and you tried valiantly to ignore her words; knowing some of them weren't for the innocent.

You paused and stiffened as a cold, bony hand swept sour cream on your cheek, flushing brilliantly as Sans chuckled. "Jeez, pal, you're such a mess." You glared at him, though with your burning cheeks, you were sure it wasn't intimidating.

Papyrus gasped and turned your head, pouting slightly. "Sans, did you do this on purpose?!" You grumbled as you saw Sans shrug in your peripheral vision, scowling slightly.

"Not a big deal, Pap'; I got it." You stuck out your tongue and licked at what you could at the corner of your mouth, your eyebrows angling down when you couldn't reach it all.

Papyrus was flushed and you could hear his bones rattling slightly as he hurriedly grabbed a napkin and cleaned your cheek for you. "Th-th-that's not necessary, friend! I've got it!" You let yourself be held in his hands, raising an eyebrow. Why was he so nervous? You were just cleaning your face. Lazily, sure, but what did you care about manners?

Undyne snickered, arm wrapped around Alphys' shoulders as they both had finished their meals. "Look at them, all cute and shit." You flushed, gently pulling your face- which was now very clean- from Papyrus' hands and leaned back into the couch; going back to eating. Sans wasn't moving, and you turned to look at him- his cheeks bright blue and staring in surprise at you.

"What? Why are you guys acting so weird?" You questioned, feeling nervous from all the staring. "If you guys have a problem with how I clean my face, leave a note in the complaint box."

It was a bit snarky, but you couldn't help it. Your insides were flipping constantly from the way the boys had been acting. Sans quickly returned to semi-normal, avoiding looking at you with a small chuckle. "Ah, it's nothin' bud. Don't worry about it."

Huffing, you turned back to your meal, pointedly ignoring everyone. Soon enough, the atmosphere returned to normal, and you were all laughing at the funny movie. Your torso was stretched to lay against Papyrus' body, while your lower half was pressed against Sans'. It wasn't comfortable, but there was no other way to lay considering the two girls at the end of the tiny couch who needed as much space as they could get- considering their inability to be ashamed for their sudden make out sessions.

You could feel your cheeks return to a familiar shade of red as you could hear the two whispering sweet nothings to each other, obviously ready for another round of kissing, and you couldn't help but feel slightly envious.  
  
The boys, you loved them dearly, but you could really only take so much of their "kissing". It was sweet that they tried, and boy, they tried, but you kind of missed the warmth that another person's lips would bring from a kiss. Sometimes Papyrus would get too excited for a kiss and nearly knock your nose in- or Sans wouldn't be watching and accidentally ram himself into your skull. It was pretty painful- though they always apologized right afterwards.

With a sigh, you stretched your somewhat sore body and stood up to grab a drink. Heading to the kitchen, you grabbed a small pack of fruit juice- nobody drank alcohol in the house, and Papyrus loved to try your fruit juices- you turned around and nearly yelped as Sans was standing there, somewhat abashedly.  
  
"Jesus, shit; stop doing that." You whisper shouted to Sans, holding a hand to your heart. He grinned slightly, what you found to be a "sorry not sorry" look, and you huffed. "Did you need something?" He shuffled, and you noticed he looked slightly... embarrassed?

"Ah... look. I know what you've been thinking; and I don't blame you for it." He rubbed the back of his skull, and you rose an eyebrow. "I saw how you were looking at the girls. Can't really blame you for wishing we had lips." Flushing red, you stuttered. Had you really been that obvious?

"I-I... you... I mean..." Coughing into your free hand, you shrugged. "I mean, you guys can't really do anything about that. You're skeletons. Kinda comes with the... territory, ya know?"

He nodded, knowing it too well. "Yeah, I know. Just, uh... I won't blame you if you wanted to... go for someone else. Who has lips." You paused, taking a good look at Sans. He seemed somewhat shy, embarrassed, and kind of sad. Did he really think that? You scoffed, surprising him, and kneeled down to his level; setting your juice on the floor before taking a hold of his shoulders.

"If you really think I don't want what you and Papyrus have given me, just because you don't have lips; you're pretty much the stupidest person I've ever met."

Before he could reply, you smashed your lips against his teeth; giving the best kiss you could manage for someone who couldn't really return the favour. You poured your feelings and your love into it; pulling away only to return to the rest of his face and pepper kisses all over the rest of it. By the time you were finished, he was sweating all over, and his cheekbones were bright blue; his face morphed into pure pleasure as he stared at you.  
  
"Wow," He huffed, his bones shaking under his clothes. You snickered behind your hand before grabbing your juice and standing.

"Believe me know, bone boy?" You murmured, stroking his skull softly.

He nodded, leaning into your hand with a sigh. You couldn't help but smile fondly at him. With that settled, you walked back to the couch- ignoring the pointed looks from the girls. "That sure took a while for some juice," Undyne grinned wide, snickering. Alphys was giving you a similar look, though you shrugged, taking a sip of your juice before handing it to an excited Papyrus.

Sans sat back in his spot, and also ignored the girls; gently taking hold of your hand with a pleased smile. Undyne whistled, nudging Alphys. "I don't think "just juice" was happening in there." Papyrus spat out his juice, flushing brightly as he turned to you and Sans. You flushed, huddling down in your seat, while Sans shrugged.

"I don't kiss and tell."

Papyrus looked like he was ready to blow a gasket, while Alphys and Undyne were cheering. Being pulled into Papyrus' lap, you couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculousness of it all. With a smile, you turned to Papyrus- who was angrily talking to his brother about the rules of sharing your kisses- and pulled his head close before plastering his face in kisses; being sure not to leave out a single spot on his skull.

Papyrus melted into a proverbial puddle of bright, steaming red goo, while Undyne cheered and whooped with Alphys- who was also turning red from your display. Turning around and taking Sans’ hand, you smiled happily at him- and he returned it in kind.

God you loved these nerds.


	12. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get into the past with your scars, and it gets a bit intense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho-boy.  
> The moment I've been waiting for.  
> For quite a while, actually. I kept making new chapters in between the beginning and this one, mostly to gain interest between characters and grow the story. Kinda nervous to be actually posting it now. Eeep.
> 
> Also!  
> You guys so so fucking sweet to me, I can't begin to tell you how much I love you guys /)////(\ I love you and your encouragements and compliments so much. I just. UGH.  
> Ya'll are far too sweet to me. Thank you.
> 
> WARNING: This is where the slight angst comes in. Also, heavy mentions of scars, and implications of self-harm (though it's not true).
> 
> \----

It was a few days later- on New Years night, actually- that you all decided to have the next date night at Undyne and Alphys' house. After confirming that the only holiday monsters knew of was Christmas- though they had it named “Gyftmas” after a known deer like monster underground- you mentioned about how crowded it would be to go out tonight, and everyone chose to stay home. It was currently evening, and Sans, Papyrus, and Alphys were on the couch watching a movie, while you and Undyne were at the dinner table talking.

You smiled at Undyne, who was eagerly showing you all of her cool scars and retelling the stories behind them. "This one I got from Asgore when I was training with him," She pointed at the one on her shoulder; a thin, but lengthy cut around it to the back of her shoulder blade. "He felt so bad about it, but when he noticed how happy I was, he just kinda went with it." You chuckled in response. It seemed the common theme for all monsters (that you knew of, anyways) to say something kind about their King. You vaguely wondered what it would be like to meet him.

"So, you got any cool scars?" Undyne looked excited, and you nodded, but didn't move to show them. "Aww, what? Don't hide them! Scars are badass- c'mon, show me at least one!" You looked over to where Sans, Papyrus, and Alphys were all sitting on the couch- though they were looking at you curiously. You swallowed, and bit your lip. It was just too personal to show any of them- but... one or two couldn't hurt, right? And Undyne wanted to see them. She had scars too- but it wasn't in an excessive amount like you had.

Shrugging, you pulled up the right sleeve of your hoodie and began unwrapping the bandages around your hand and forearm; giving a pretty good view of multiple scars down the length of your arm- only stopping where you left the bandages on at your elbow. Undyne stared, and you noticed the room was quiet- startlingly so. Looking at the three on the couch, you noticed they were staring intently at your arm too. It... wasn't that bad, right?

Feeling nervous you pulled your arm away from sight and quickly pushed your sleeve back down, slight shame filling you. Undyne snapped out of her daze and grabbed your arm, surprising you. "Hey, don't jip me on this! What are the stories behind these? They're so cool... and so many! You must fight a lot, right?"

That wasn't what you were expecting.

You shrugged, feeling nervous as your arm was re-exposed to view; flushing as Undyne tenderly stroked each scar. "I mostly got them from HPP attacks," You answered quickly, feeling ticklish from Undyne's fingers. Your arm twitched at her touch and she smirked.

"Damn, human. I need to fight you one day- you must be super strong!"

You snorted in response before covering your mouth, flushing brightly. She didn't seem to mind and laughed happily at it. "N-no, honestly I'm not strong at all. I just run as fast as I can, and sometimes... I don't usually make it to safety."

Alphys came over and adjusted her glasses as she looked at the scars, frowning. "Are these... all from HPP attacks?" You nodded. More or less, they were from switchblades, knives, or some sharp object they found on the ground.

"A few of them are just from me being clumsy and falling on something sharp; but majority, if not nearly all, are from HPP."

Papyrus and Sans walked over, sitting next to you and also stared at your arm. You were beginning to get uncomfortable at the staring. You think Sans noticed this, as he took hold of your left hand and squeezed it gently, and gave you a praising look for being patient. You swallowed and gave a shaky smile. The gesture was very welcomed.

"You got anymore?" Undyne questioned, seemingly finished with your arm.

You nodded, and gestured to your body. "Littered in them." Undyne and Alphys' jaws dropped, both shooting each other a look. "What? Something wrong?"

"Please don't t-take this the wrong w-way, um," Alphys started, looking as nervous as you felt. "B-but, these really are all from that group, correct? Not from... s-something else?" You stared at her blankly, unsure what she meant. Papyrus was holding your arm and stroking your scars before he paused and slowly looked over at the girls.

"Um... you don't mean...?"

Alphys adjusted her glasses again and Undyne looked suddenly uncomfortable. You shifted in your seat and bit your cheek. This was getting tense. "I-I don't believe I understand what you're referring to..." Sans tightened his hold on your hand to grab your attention and you looked at his hollow eyes, suddenly feeling a chill run down your back. Was he angry...?

"They mean... is someone else doing this? Or are you? Are you... giving yourself these scars?" You blinked, the question hitting you like a ton of bricks. They thought you were cutting yourself? Your lips curled up as you slowly started off with a chuckle before soon laughing and holding your stomach like it was the best joke you ever heard.

"M-me? Cutting myself? I mean, sure, if I'm being clumsy with a knife sometimes, but never on purpose; no. I promise, none of these are from myself." They looked unsure and you frowned. Why were they so sure about this?

"Guys, c'mon," You pleaded, tugging your arm away from Papyrus and pulling your sleeve back down. "I'm not... I don't do that. I promise. I'm not like that, I swear." Undyne looked at your body and sighed.

"Let me see the others." You reared your head back, startled by the sudden command.

"I'd, uh, rather not. I mean, you're a good friend and all, but I'd rather you not see my body."

Papyrus was frowning, gently placing a hand on your shoulder. Why did he look so serious? "Friend, please, let us take a look. We are only worried for your safety." You scowled, shaking your head.

"Why are you guys suddenly acting like I'm depressed or suicidal? I've never been like that, I swear!"

"Then let us look," Sans spoke clearly, obviously frustrated. He wasn't looking at you, and was instead staring at your well hidden body. You shifted in your seat again, frowning.

"If you don't let us look, friend, we can't help you."

You snapped your gaze up to Papyrus; eyes narrowed and mouth curled into a frown. "Help me with what? My scars? They're fine." You stood up, feeling angry that they would even mention that something was wrong and headed for the door. Undyne tackled you from behind on to the ground and you grunted at the fall; squirming and trying desperately to get out. "Stop it!" You called out, trying your hardest to get free. "I don't have to show you guys! Honestly, you're being over dramatic!"

You felt a chill fill your body before it held you tightly; every part of your person was being held in place. Looking over, you could see Papyrus' right eye glowing orange, holding you down with his power. Surprised at the use of force from the gentle skeleton, everyone backed away. Even Undyne got off of you, now that you weren't able to escape.

"We're being over dramatic?" He whispered, his voice echoing softly from his power. You were pulled to a standing position, facing everyone. "You're running away while saying the scars are no big deal. To us, that means you're hiding something. We just want to help. There is no need to hide from us." You felt tears prick in the backs of your eyes, as you stood there, unable to move. "Please friend, just let us see."

You shook your head as best you could, shaking even while being held down. "I don't want to. Nobody sees my scars. They're personal. I don't like it when people look."

Alphys stepped forward a little, looking confused. "B-but... we're not people. We're your friends.... aren't we?"

You sighed, closing your eyes. "I just-... I don't want you guys to hate me too." Looking at each of them slowly, you gave a mock smile. "Everywhere I go, and no matter who I meet, there's always someone who thinks my scars are disgusting. Revolting. Freaky. And they always make sure I know." You glanced down at your body, unable to look at them anymore. "I don't want that to happen with you guys."

Sans stepped forward, motioning Papyrus to let you down as he held your hand and looked up at you; his pupils back and looking concerned, but warm. "It won't. We care for you," He grinned, squeezing your hand. "We're here for you. Feel free to beat us up if we're ever not. All right?" You sniffled, squeezing his hand back and nodded.

"Two punches in the shoulder if any of you try to run away."

They all laughed before sitting you down in the living room, making sure all the blinds were closed before you took off your hoodie, showing off your rather large tank top and bandage covered body. You never really went anywhere without the bandages, so taking them off in front of people was a little off putting.  
  
But, you reminded yourself, these are your friends. Not people. They could handle it.

Taking off your tank top and reaching down at the back, you unknotted the tie before unraveling it from the bottom; your friends gasping as your back came into view. You looked over your shoulder when you had unraveled just below your rib cage; seeing the multitude of scars all over your body.

Some were whip marks, some were burn marks; others were various knives and sharp objects. It was definitely a mess. You kept glancing at your hoodie nervously, but Sans noticed this and quickly placed it on the couch behind you, making sure you couldn't hide anymore. You hated it, but didn't bother to object. They wouldn't let you leave if you tried to run anyways.

"Holy shit," Undyne breathed, stroking your back. You stiffened, sitting up straight as her cold hands skimmed across your hot back. Flushing, you turned your head to the other shoulder, trying to see where she was looking at exactly. She was stroking a whip mark tenderly, frowning with narrowed eyes. "That asshole monster hater group did this to you?" You nodded, shifting a bit so you could point at some.

"That one was when I was caught near one of their bases," You pointed at the burn mark. You couldn't remember if it was a torch or something really hot, but that's because the memory was a bit... fuzzy. "If I hadn't been screaming in agony, the people outside never would have found me. The assholes ran off before I was even unconscious."

Papyrus looked like he was going to be ill as he stared at your navel, looking at another scar. "Wh-what is that one from...?" You looked down and saw the mark going diagonally across your belly button, stroking it softly.

"Knife. They were slashing at a few children and I jumped in between them. Wasn't fun, but no major organs were injured, so it was okay." Sans looked rather pained to be staring at you and you frowned. "You... you don't have to look, you know." You looked at the ground, playing with your pants. "You can leave if it bothers you."

He snorted, pocketing his hands, but you could tell he was more than a little aggravated. "No, it's not that. I just... want to kill them. Even more now."

Undyne, Alphys, and Papyrus stared at Sans in shock, and you could only follow suit. "Kill them? B-Brother, think about what you're saying!" Papyrus waved his hands around him as if to expel the thought. Sans shook his head, rubbing below his left eye.

"I am, and it's making it worse. I'll be fine. What's that one from?" He pointed to the one on your neck, and you instinctively hid it behind your hand.

Giving him a look, you stroked the scar. "Are you sure you want to hear about it? This one wasn't from an HPP attack... and you look aggravated enough." He nodded sharply, his face stiff as if he was trying to physically calm himself down. You hummed, thinking back to the past of the scar. "I think... this is the one I almost died from." The air was thick with tension, and you looked back at Sans who was looking less than pleased.

"All right you, go to the back room." Undyne crossed her arms and nodded to the door across the hall. Sans didn't move and she sneered; her razor sharp teeth glinting in the low lightly. "Get! We can't have any human killings, Sans. You know that. If you're going to be pissed off from it, you don't get to hear it." He stiffly nodded again before walking out to the other room; closing the door with a sharp bang. You flinched and looked down at the ground.

Alphys knelt next to you and placed a hand on your shoulder. "D-Don't worry about it. You can continue the s-story if you'd like."

You looked up at her, feeling far worse than terrible at the moment. "Are you sure you wanna hear it? I don't want anyone else getting mad..."

Undyne snorted, placing her hands on her hips. "Too late for that; I'm already mad. I just know how to control it better."

Alphys gave her a "Not really but I won't comment because it's not the time" look before sitting down next to you. You sighed, rubbing your neck scar. "It's not... a soft hearted tale." You glanced at Papyrus worryingly, but he gave a smile and sat down before pulling you into his lap.

"We'll be okay. Tell us as much as you want." You nodded, thankful that they weren't being pushy anymore and swallowed. This would take a bit.


	13. No Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get to hear the backstory of your best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to cry from all of your sweet messages. I'm going to die from an overdose of sugary sweetness, and it'll be ya'lls fault. But don't worry; I hear that there's internet and WIFI in death. So I'll still post daily. ;3
> 
> Love you big fuzzballs. Enjoy the chapter! <3
> 
> Warning: Talks about blood, though not too heavily in detail. Also, pretty long chapter.
> 
> \--------

"Hey, Chance, wait up!" You giggled, running after your best friend down the sidewalk. You were about twelve, and Chance was about fifteen-so he definitely had more leg than you and could easily outrun you (though you had a bit more stamina than he did).   
  
He laughed as you both weaved in and out of people on the sidewalk and quickly turned the corner; slowing his pace into a walk as he headed into the alleyway. You followed soon after, grinning wide. "You got lucky this time!"

He huffed at you, waving you off as he tried to catch his breath. "Yeah... right..." You shook your head. Silly Chance. You walked down the rest of the alleyway before stopping under the hooked up ladder, hopping up and down. "Come on, I wanna get inside! Ma will be angry with me if I don't get back home before noon, and I wanna spend some time with you!"

Snorting, he jogged over to you before hoisting your tiny body up on his shoulder; allowing you to reach the ladder with ease. Yanking down on it with a good tug, you let the ladder slide down before climbing up on it, humming a small tune. Chance was climbing up behind you, and you hoisted yourself up before pulling him up on to the fire escape.

"We'd better hurry. Don't want anyone to see us." You nodded, taking a quick look around before sliding open the window with practiced ease. It had a simple lock- one that was rarely ever used- and you easily slipped through the windowsill; quickly and quietly walking in. Chance slid in not too long after, closing the window slowly.

You both had come here more times than you could count. It was a secret hide out- but you had to be careful, because the landlord was a very strict and harsh person. He didn't like "rats" sneaking into his apartments for free.

Tip toeing into the room, you both held back snickers as you looked through your hiding spots for foods and sat down on the bed; snacking away. Neither of you really got a chance to eat much, considering your poor families and multiple family members, but you always stole food from markets when people weren't looking and stashed it away here in your hideout. Whatever either of you found was to be shared, unless the other didn't like it. Though you weren't really picky, considering your hungry stomachs.

"So Chance," You murmured, grinning wide. "You think we can make it out of here without alerting anyone today?" He hummed, stroking his chin. It was slightly scruffy.

"Doubtful. Someone always manages to catch us. I just hope they don't find our food." You nodded, scarfing down your snacks. It'd been a few days since you ate, and you were famished. Chance noticed this and frowned. "They still punishing you from the thing?"

You nodded, pausing in your eating. "...It's been... two days. Maybe three, since I've eaten dinner or lunch." Chance gave you a startled look that you could see from the corner of your eye. You felt small. "It's fine. I have you and the food here. I can live." He scowled, looking down at the snack in his hand. He seemed to contemplate something before shoving it into your now empty hands.

You gave him an odd look. "Chance?"

He shook his head, scowling. "Eat. You can't survive if you don't get enough. I'm fine; I get dinner and lunch." You smiled softly, setting down the snack before giving him a hug. "Thanks, man!"

He flushed, holding your shoulders and pushing you back. "Don't sweat it. Eat. We've got a while till noon."

You both sat up there for hours; quietly talking, eating, and sitting there just being next to each other. You felt sleepy from all the food, but full. You wouldn't be going to bed hungry tonight, that's for sure. You both carefully put away the empty food containers and bags in your plastic bag that you brought with you; making sure to not leave a crumb behind.

It was when you stepped down from the bed that you noticed footsteps coming up the stairs. Stiffening, you alerted Chance-but you knew you had no time to make it to the window. You motioned again for him to dash to the it before quickly sliding into the large clothes closet and hid; making sure Chance left through the window with the bag first.

The door slammed open, and you flinched inside the closet. Hiding behind some clothes, you peeked out through the crack between the door and saw the portly, well mustachioed man you knew as Theodore, the landlord. He was sniffing the air, and you were only so happy that you and Chance agreed to never bring fruits or heavily scented foods up with you. That man had a keen nose if you ever saw one.

He stepped slowly around the room, carefully assessing it, before setting his sights on the closet. Your throat closed as he stepped closer- closer- closer still, before he was right at the door. His hand, mere inches away from opening it, flinched away as a large crash sound was heard. It was somewhere downstairs. He gave the closet a scowl before hurriedly bouncing to the stairs; heading down as fast as his stubby legs could carry him.

You let out a whoosh of air as you leapt out of the closet, running to the window and tried to open it- only to notice it was closed. You squeaked, trying in vain to open it, but soon saw the latch was locked with a thick lock in place. Theodore must have closed and locked it when you couldn't see much.

Swearing under your breath, you carefully walked out the door and looked down, seeing Theodore addressing the newly broken window, and cursing to the rock in his hand. Tip toeing as best you could, you sidled over to the hall window, looking over. Not locked. But there was a plant in the way. You knew he would hear it shifting- it was much too heavy for you to move.

Sweating bullets, you heard Theodore swearing louder- talking into the phone to the police- and your heart hammered in your chest. You felt caged in, and with no way out. Tip toeing back into your hideout room, you noticed Chance looking in worriedly before he noticed you; waving you over.

"What are you doing?" He mouthed, trying to open the window. You winced, giving him a scared look. You could feel your stomach curling into knots from your fear.

"Locked," You mouthed back, pointing desperately at the window. He scowled and punched it, only to wince in pain. You turned around as you heard Theodore swearing and coming up the stairs, squeaking.  _ 'No, no, no, no, no-!!'  _  You thought in a panic, looking to Chance again.

He motioned to the closet and you jumped in; closing the doors slightly. Theodore looked into the room and saw Chance before he could duck down, sneering. "I've got you now, you little rat!" He quickly turned around and was about to run out before he noticed the changed position of the closet doors, and you held your breath with your eyes closed.

He yanked open the doors and reached in; pulling you by your shoulder length hair, nearly ripping it off from the force. You yelped and tried to pull away, but Theodore was just too strong. "Two rats, eh? I ought to tell your parents of this one, you little brat!" Theodore adjusted his hold and held you around your waist, easily carrying your squirming body down the stairs. You whined in your throat, and turned around to see Chance punch the window in vain before hopping down the fire escape.

You were thrown on the ground, much too close to the broken glass for comfort, and scrambled to get up- but were soon pushed face first into the glass. It cut into your cheek and at the corner of your eye and you screamed in pain. "Rats get punished! Deal with it!" Theodore chided, giving you one last rough shove into the glass before getting up and grabbing the phone again.

You blearily looked around from your position on the ground and rubbed your overly bloodied face- seeing Chance rush through the door. He saw you, your face, and grit his teeth before grabbing the rock he had thrown earlier and chucking it expertly at the back of Theodore's head. He fell face first into the counter, dropping the phone from the blow; groaning in pain.

Chance ran over and grabbed you by the shoulders, hoisting you up. You couldn't see out of your left eye well, and you felt rather dizzy- but Chance pulled you up and half dragged you as you stumbled to the door. In the next instant, you felt something sharp pierce you, and you suddenly felt very cold. Your body was rather... odd feeling, as your legs felt wobbly and out of control.

You reached up to the pain and noticed there was a large gash on your neck; looking back to find Theodore had stumbled over and tried to slice at you with a piece of glass from the ground. You fell over and Chance grabbed your body, picking you up and dashing out of the building.

It was black and cold for a long time.

It felt like months when you finally woke up and saw Chance sleeping next to you in a chair; your body in a hospital gown and cot. After he woke up, he told you that you had been out for nine days straight and needed emergency surgery. Theodore had nicked a vital nerve in your neck that set blood gushing everywhere, and you needed a blood transfusion stat.

Apparently it was Chance who would be taking the fall, though, for sneaking into the apartments. He was sent to jail not long after you had awoken, and you were alone. Your family wanted nothing to do with you after the incident- as if the whole thing was your fault- but that was nothing new. But now you were alone on the streets.

No friends.

No family.

No Chance.

 

* * *

 

 

You stared at your hands for a long time after finishing your story. Looking back at it now, it was plain stupidity for how you nearly died. Sneaking in and stealing food. It had been your way of survival, sure, but now with a job and friends to look after you- and vice versa- it was... a little embarrassing. But everyone had their embarrassing pasts. You weren't any different.

Maybe a little, with the near death thing, but, semantics.

Undyne whistled low, having moved to sit on the couch with Alphys. "That's quite a story. What happened to your friend?" You shrugged. You didn't really know.

"He was put in jail, and I never heard from him again. I waited for him to come find me after his sentence was lifted, but... he never came." You weren't angry about it, but you were a little sad he wouldn't want to see you after so long. It had been just you two for years. Since you were five, and he eight. "I assume he's either forgotten about me, or just doesn't want to see me."

Papyrus held you close, having been surprisingly quiet throughout the duration of the story. "I don't see why he wouldn't want to see you. He was your friend. That doesn't make any sense..." You patted his arm and gave him a off centered smile.

"Not everyone stays friends after years of not seeing each other, Pap'. I don't hold it against him."

Alphys sighed, holding onto Undyne's hand. "I do have to say, you humans and your social habits are odd. If I never got to see any of you for a period of time, I'd absolutely go looking for you after I was freed."

You shrugged, not really knowing how to answer. "Some people are just... different." Maybe it was a human thing. You didn't really think so, as you'd do the same as Alphys, but it was a possibility.

Undyne stretched and sighed. "Whelp, enough of this heavy atmosphere. How about we make some grub and watch some TV?" Papyrus looked happy at that thought before letting you off his lap and headed to the kitchen.

He turned around as he passed the hall, though, and frowned. "Friend, would you mind... checking on my brother?" You nodded, carefully wrapping your body back up- but left the hoodie on the couch- and went to the door, giving a small knock.

It opened a bit to show a calmed down, but still slightly aggravated Sans. You give a weak smile. "May I come in? The others are making some food." He nodded and allowed you to enter before closing the door again. The room was a spare room for Undyne and Alphys. It was plain looking and rather empty, but it was fine. You sat on the bed and patted the spot next to you. Sans walked over and sat down, sighing.

"You going to interrogate me for my thoughts?" He questioned, but you could tell he was half joking. You shook your head and took his hand into your bandaged one, stroking his metacarpals slowly.

"Came to see how you were. You were... really upset." He snorted, but didn't pull his hand away.

"How would you feel if you saw someone you cared for battered and scarred- and you couldn't do anything to help?"

You smiled sadly, scooting closer to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders; your free hand still holding on to his. "Bad. But I'd try to comfort them. It's not as bad as it looks, but I'm... not very open with them considering the reactions I get, you know?" He nodded, understanding well enough. You sighed and kissed his head softly. "Thank you for worrying about me though. I appreciate it after being alone for so long."

He gave a smile and "kissed" you back; his hands trailing over your bandages. "They're rather cool, you know." You rose an eyebrow and he chuckled. "I mean, I'm sure you don't feel that way, but I noticed how jealous Undyne looked for a moment. She was absolutely admiring your scars."

You chuckled, looking at your slightly unwrapped arm. You guessed they were all right. Sans reached over and took your left arm, unwrapping the bandages slowly, giving you a glance as if to ask if it was alright. You nodded, giving him more of your arm to unwrap it easier. He unraveled it all up to your shoulder, looking and stroking each scar slowly.

You felt your cheeks heat up a bit. It was a bit intimate for him to be so... concentrated on your scars.

After stroking and finishing up looking at your arms, he pulled away and smiled softly. "They're nice. While they make me want to do the same to the guys who did this to you, they're something special." You bobbed your head in thanks, too tongue tied to say anything. He chuckled and "kissed" your cheek again, before offering to wrap your arm. You paused before declining.

"I... I need to get used to them. To you all seeing them. I want to be more open with them again. At least around you guys." You absolutely would not be walking around outside without long sleeves or your hoodie, but you'd wear less around the house and here.

Sans smiled, pleased with your answer, and quickly unwrapped your right arm. You pocketed the bandages and both left the room; feeling better about everything. Alphys peeked over from around the corner and smiled, stepping over. "Glad to see y-you f-feel comfortable enough without y-your bandages. A-and I hope y-you've calmed down, now, Sans."

You both nodded and she led you both to the table where Undyne and Papyrus were sitting with the pot of spaghetti on the table. Undyne grinned. "You look so tough! I can't wait to get that many scars one day." You chuckle and shake your head, grabbing some spaghetti on your plate, happy to have some warm food in you. The night was spent chatting and laughing; having you feel more and more confident about your scars as the night went on.

As everyone went to their rooms and beds for the night, you hesitated before calling out. "Thank you," They paused and turned to look at you, and you flushed, running a hand through your hair. "For... accepting me. And my scars. It means a lot to me." They smiled, each giving you a hug before everyone bid each other goodnight.

You smiled in your sleep; dreams filled with the fonder memories of your childhood.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, human sickness'. Something the skeleton brothers may never understand. Also, nice back massages for the reader! <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how animes / mangas / TV shows have that one instance where the main character gets sick like once in the whole thing and it's always super deadly or something? I find it so weird.  
> It's either that, or the character is like, deathly ill for the whole show with "no known cure". Really silly.
> 
> \----------

You sneezed into your arm and groaned as Sans handed you another tissue. Taking it gingerly, you blew your nose until your head swam; laying your head back against your pillow with a sigh. "You, uh, gunna be alright there, pal?" Sans asked nervously, wringing his hands together.

Giving a weak chuckle, you nodded- coughing into your arm. "I-I'll be fine. Just need some rest." Papyrus was sitting at the edge of your bed, looking very worried. It made you feel guilty to see him so worked up over you. "Pap', don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Grinning wide, you snuggled down into your pit of blankets that the brother's near forced upon you after hearing the word "sick".

Papyrus whined lightly, his voice quieter as he knew you had a headache (though it wasn't any more quiet that light shouting, but you suffered through it for him). "F-friend, are you certain? We should really get you medical aid..." Waving him off, you purred slightly as Sans laid a wet rag on your forehead and played with your slightly sweat hair.

"It's just a cold, Pap'. Don't worry too much about it." It honestly wasn't as bad as they usually get. Back when you were younger, you had horrible asthma problems. Getting sick with a cold or flu would always increase your breathing issues, and you'd be reduced to lying in bed all day. It took weeks for you to get better, but now that you were older, you had a slightly better immune system. Your asthma never really changed, but the ‘exercise’ helped.

‘Exercise’ meaning running for your life.

Coughing into your arm again, you groaned slightly. Sans carefully handed you a cup of water- easing it to your mouth when he noticed your arms were shaking to hold it up- and pulled it away when you were finished. "Can't say it isn't terrifying, pal. We aren't really used to human illness', ya know."

It made sense. After learning about the mountain and that only seven or so children were lost into it, you doubted they knew what a cold really implied. Swallowing, you rubbed your head into your pillow slowly. "Sorry. Cold's are like... mild sicknesses for humans. If we have one, we're still expected to work. They aren't life threatening- at least, to most. People with low immune systems could be in pretty bad shape."

That seemed to increase their anxiousness only further and you could only groan. "I'm fine, you guys. Seriously. All I need is some rest and some soup. And a lot of water. Periodically, of course." You patted Sans' hand with your not-gross hand; giving a smile.

He sighed, shaking his head. "With how you treat your health, I wouldn't be surprised if you were lying about how bad your condition is."

Ouch. That hurt.

Pouting, you pulled your hand away and huffed, hiding under your blanket fort. "Rude." Sans only chuckled before standing.

"Don't be that way. I'll be back soon, all right? Going to go get some soup for ya. Do ya... need any medicine or anything?"

Humming, you popped your head back out of your fort. "Probably some cold medicine. It'll say it on the box. Anything works fine, but I'd prefer pills to any liquids." You wrinkled your nose. Liquid medicine always tasted like shit.

He chuckled again, his facial expressions growing slightly softer. "Alright. Pills, soup, and water when I get back. Take care of them, alright Pap'?" Papyrus saluted proudly before waving his brother off, turning back to you nervously.

You gave a weak laugh, patting the spot next to you. "C'mere. I wanna snuggle next to my favourite skele-man."

He smiled brightly at the thought, clambering next to you excitedly and held you close; rubbing his head against yours. You chuckle, sighing softly before coughing into your arm a bit. He hummed and moved his gloved hands to your shoulders, moving himself slightly and unintentionally pressing down rather nicely on your neck; and you gave a sigh of relief.   
  
"Does... this feel good to you, friend?" Papyrus asked slowly, blinking in surprise.

You laughed, though it was more like a loud wheeze, and nodded. "Heck yeah. My neck and head feel all stuffy, so a good back rub sounds amazing right now." With a hum, you shifted around to where you were laying on your stomach and motioned Papyrus over. "Here; you can sit on my legs while you rub."

He seemed hesitant, but only for a moment as he cautiously straddled your legs before starting to rub your shoulders again. Giving a content sigh, you laid your head down on its side; keeping it partially on the wet rag. You could see Papyrus' concentrated face out of the corner of your eye and you grinned. "Don't think too hard over there. You might blow a fuse."

He looked up at your face, slightly startled, and flushed; giving a weak clearing of his throat- how was that a thing? - and chuckled. "A-apologies friend. I am just... intrigued by your flesh. It is quite amazing with how squishy it is!"   
  
If it were coming from anyone else other than a skeleton, you'd probably question their mentality and ask if they were a serial killer. But looking at the jovial face that was Papyrus, you couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Thanks, I guess. Never heard that compliment before." He grinned even wider, giving a "you're welcome!" before going back to rub your neck. You gave a slight moan as his phalanges found a sweet spot on your neck; turning your head slightly so he could reach it better. You didn't have to look to know he was red in his cheek bones again. "That's... really nice Pap'. Keep going."

Not needing to be told twice, he continued massaging- more like playing with- your neck and shoulders, seemingly hesitant on going any lower. You stretched a bit, cracking your neck with a pleased sigh. Damn that felt good. You looked back to find Papyrus as a red, wide eyed mess as he stared at you. Flushing, you scratched your cheek. "Ah, s-sorry. Forgot you guys don't hear me do that often."

He seemed curious enough, poking at your neck, causing you to chuckle. "How did you do that, friend?" His question was so naive and innocent, you couldn't help but smile.

"I cracked my neck. Something humans do to release built up stress." He seemed horrified at the thought, quickly looking at your neck to check for injuries before you laughed into a coughing fit. Brushing away his worries with a wave, you breathed deeply after your harsh fit. " ‘m f-fine. I'm good."

Reaching out, you quickly grasped the Styrofoam cup and greedily drank what water you could before setting it back on the nightstand. Laying back down, you sighed. "A-are you alright? Was it your neck that caused that?" You bit your lip to keep from laughing, unable to keep from grinning.

"N-no, Pap'. Cracking my neck is normal. I just try to keep from doing it around you and Sans cause I know it probably sounds weird to hear popping bones."

"Bones?" He cried out, poking your body again- and you tried desperately to keep from squirming. "Humans have bones? But you're so squishy!" You yelped as he grasped some flesh around your hips, flushing brightly.

"P-Papyrus, don't do that!" He quickly pulled his hand away, flushing on his cheek bones again. You groaned. Why did he have to be so innocent?

Sighing, you reached back and patted his hand softly. "Sorry for yelling. That's just... not a good place to touch for humans. Or me, really." His jaw dropped slightly and you noticed seconds before that he was going into a panic. Fuck.

"Did I hurt you friend?! Oh god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, I was just so intent on figuring out how you have bones with all the flesh surrounding you and I-!" You buried your face into your pillow, mentally groaning. Waiting until he was finished- poor thing was near tears- you turned and shifted until Papyrus was sitting on your lap instead of the backs of your thighs.

Grasping his skull, you bumped your forehead against his good naturedly, chuckling. "Pap', you've got to stop that. I'm fine. I'm not hurt- so don't worry about it. When I said it's not a good place to touch, I just meant... it's a ticklish spot for me, alright?" Huffing, you scratched your flushed cheek, pulling and looking away from the skeleton.

He tilted in head curiously, looking down at your hips. "Like when someone touches my funny bone?" He asked, gesturing to said bone. You made a mental note to keep away from it and nodded. "Yeah, kind of. Ticklish spots vary on humans, though. Mine are around my hips and legs." He looked fearful for a moment, looking about ready to stand before you pulled him back down with a firm grip.

"Don't worry about it. It only happens if you stroke your fingers against the skin. Your legs are fine." He nodded, though semi-reluctantly, and you hummed. "Can you do me a favour? I, uh," You paused, flushing again. "Your massages felt pretty good. You mind massaging the rest of my back?"

He looked excited and nodded, "I'll keep away from your hips and legs- Royal Guard's honor!" You stifled a giggle at that comment, carefully taking off your hoodie and moved to remove your bandages when you noticed the slight nervous and red tinged look on Papyrus' face.

"Oh, uh, sorry. You can't really massage me if the bandages are in the way; it wouldn't be comfortable on my skin."

He nodded and turned around to give you your privacy- which you found to be extremely sweet- and hurriedly took off your bandages with a sigh of relief. They were a little too tight this time around, and you found you could definitely breath a bit easier without them clinging to your sweaty body. Quickly sliding on your tank top, you moved back onto your stomach and gave Papyrus the okay.

He turned back around and began working on your back; startling at the low moans you gave, and always asking if anything felt wrong. After repeatedly telling him to either "go harder" or "move that way", you two fell into a comfortable silence; Papyrus completely enamored with playing with your skin, and you nearly dozing away from his hands. His phalanges worked hard into your muscles- after some reassurances that you wouldn't break- and you felt your body completely melting at his touch.

"You're vibrating, friend," He called out quietly, not wanting to disturb the peace that had settled between you. You rose an eyebrow, but kept your eyes closed.

"Vibrating...?" At your question, he moved his hands to the center of you back and began tapping in rhythm to your heartbeat, causing you to chuckle. "That's m’ heartbeat, Pap'," Your words were slightly slurred from your drowsy haze, but he understood them well enough.

"You humans are so weird. Magic doesn't usually vibrate like your "heartbeat" does. Only when in use."

Made sense. After all, skeletons in general didn't have any innards. Though the rest of monsters- like Undyne and Alphys- were a slight mystery. Fish and dinosaurs / lizards had hearts, right? Or was it just a monster thing?

You groaned lowly as Papyrus rubbed against a particular knot that had been bothering you for the past few days, and buried your head into your pillow. His speed slowed at your noise, but didn't let up as you didn't say otherwise; slowly increasing the pace back up. You arched your back a bit instinctively; mumbling a mesh of words that probably didn't make any sense.

"F-friend, are you sure this is pleasant?" Papyrus asked, his hands beginning to pull away. You whimpered slightly, craning your head back.   
  
"Please don't stop- it felt really good." Reluctantly, he put his hands back; going at the same pace as they had been, and you moaned a bit louder; not caring if the sounds were embarrassing. It felt so good to release the stress.

The door was slammed open and you both jumped to look back at a flushed Sans- who was standing there awkwardly with medicine- and you flushed bright red as you noticed his slightly predatory gaze. Clearing your throat, you gave an awkward smile and wave. "H-hey Sans. Got the medicine?" He slowly came over to you and handed you the small package, eyeing the sweating and red tinged Papyrus that was still sitting on your legs.

"So," Sans drawled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "What are you two up to?" You flushed brighter, pouting slightly as you knew you weren't doing anything wrong- though you knew it sounded anything but.

"I asked Papyrus to rub my back," You mumbled, grabbing a pill and swallowing it with a swig of your water. "He found the knot that had been bugging me, and I didn't want him to stop massaging it because it felt good."

Sans rubbed his face- which was still a nice shade of blue- and looked away awkwardly. "Probably best you don't make weird noises next time, alright?" You nodded, heavily embarrassed, and looked away also. Papyrus wrung his hands together nervously, looking between you two.

"A-ah, I'll go... make the soup." Carefully getting off your legs, he dashed out of the room in a flash, leaving you two behind. You pouted again, mumbling  _ "traitor" _ .

Sans moved to sit on the edge of your bed, looking at your back- which was slightly showing from Papyrus' meticulous rubs- and reached out to stroke it lightly. You squeaked, squirming away from him and felt your cheeks burn bright as he gave you a questioning look. "I'm ticklish there..." You pursed your lips, trying not to seem  like a child.

He blinked before chuckling softly, motioning you to move back to your spot before sitting on your legs like Papyrus had been before; lightly rubbing the center of your back. Sighing, you laid back down on your bed; letting Sans' hands roam free. He seemed to be lost in thought as he played with your flesh- much like Papyrus- and you let him be as your eyes drifted closed slightly.

"A bit harder...?" You murmured, startling the shorter skeleton. He chuckled again, working his phalanges into your muscles, and you bit your lip to keep from making noises. It was so good to feel the stress be relieved while you were sick. Your head not feeling as swampy as before, and your neck wasn't as heavy. Sighing contently, you relaxed further into your bed; letting the skeleton have his fun as you drifted off into sleep.

 

* * *

  
  


_ "Sans, did you break the human?!" _

_ "Pretty sure they can't break. They look like they're asleep." _

_ "You're very wrong about the breaking part. When I was massaging them, they 'cracked' their neck! It was... very odd sounding." _

_ "Oh yeah?" _

_ "...They apparently have bones inside of them." _

_ "No kidding." _

You sleepily woke up to not so quiet murmurs in your room, feeling quite relaxed and warm. Reaching up slowly, you rubbed your eye with a yawn, sitting up a bit. "Friend, you are awake! Good afternoon!"

You smiled a bit as you sat up, moaning quietly as your body popped in various places; stretching happily to pop more. "Mm, soup smells good..."

Rubbing your eyes to clear the muck from them, you grasped the bowl of soup from your nightstand and began eating, humming in delight. Chicken noodle soup was a classic, and always delicious. You stretched your legs, letting your ankles pop before glancing up at your boys- flushing red at their wide eyed stares. "Uh... oops?" You grinned weakly, scooting back a bit.

Sans seemed to snap out of it first, wiping a bit of sweat that accumulated on his forehead and looked away nervously. "You, uh, really like doing that, huh pal?" You flushed brighter, focusing on your soup as you avoided looking at them.

"Sorry. It's a bad habit, I know. I can stop if you really want me to- I'm sure it's pretty uncomfortable to listen to."

Sans rubbed his face as Papyrus seemed to snap out of... whatever daze he was trapped in; looking away as well. "No, it's... do whatever you have to, alright?" You frowned a bit, biting on your lip.

"Does it bother you guys? Be honest. You always seem to... have weird reactions any time I do it."

They looked very uncomfortable with the question and you chuckled softly before coughing into your arm. "A-all right, no need to answer if you don't want to." Finishing up your soup, you set it back on your nightstand before laying back down. Snuggling into your blankets with a sigh, you smiled up at the two brothers. "Can I hear a story to help me sleep?"

Papyrus stood up straight, saluting before rushing over to his room to grab a book. Sans sighed, shaking his head before walking over and placing a hand on your forehead; the cold bones causing you to shiver slightly. "Get better soon, alright?"

You smiled softly, nodding against his hand. "I'll be fine. Just a cold; don't worry about it. At least it's not the flu."

He rose an eyebone in question, but before you could answer, Papyrus skipped his way in with a book. "I found one I think you'll like, friend!" Moving Sans over to sit by your feet, Papyrus quickly pulled up your loveseat again before sitting down and starting to read. You smiled softly, closing your eyes as you listened to Papyrus weave the tale of Cinderella; drifting off into weird dreams of Undyne as the prince, Alphys losing a shoe, and the brothers as tiny mice.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continued sickness, but with Alphys and Undyne on the case!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _[SCREECHING]_  
>  YOU PEOPLE NEED TO CALM DOWN  
> OVER _400_ KUDOS?! OVER _SIX THOUSAND_ HITS?!  
>  ;A; i cry erytim.
> 
> Thank you guys so freaking much. I never expected this silly story to ever get this popular. I see beautifully sweet comments as soon as I post, and when I wake up. It's amazing, and you guys are awesome.  
> Thank you so, so much for the love and support you guys have given me. It means the world to me. I love you guys.  
> \-------

"Where's the human?!"

You jolted awake from your very warm sleep as the front door slammed open; groaning at your impending headache that was bound to come. There were muffled, but still loud conversation noises coming through your door- one from Papyrus who yelled at the person who sounded a lot like Undyne to keep quiet-  and you sighed; standing up slowly with a blanket around your shoulders.

Opening the door, you walked over to the ledge to see Undyne holding a bunch of bags with Alphys, and they both seemed to be talking animatedly to Sans and Papyrus about your condition. Smiling wryly, you cleared your throat as best you could; gathering their attention.

They all flushed, obviously embarrassed to have woken you up, and you chuckled. "You looking for me?" You asked, your voice slightly rough from coughing so much. Undyne pumped her fists into the air- shaking the bags she was holding- and cheered.

"Heck yeah! Alphys and I heard you were sick- so we researched it and found some stuff that should cheer you up!"

You blinked, your cheeks gaining a slight rosy hue as you looked away shyly. They had gotten you things? "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

Undyne scoffed and waved you off as Alphys smiled and adjusted her glasses. "As if! We totally have to help you get better. What are friends for?"

Your heart felt light at her words, smiling brightly as you walked down the stairs. Sitting on the couch and wrapping yourself up, you laughed quietly as Undyne and Alphys passed out ice cream and showed you movies they bought to help you laugh. "Laughter is the best medicine!" Alphys replied, smiling wide. You could definitely agree to that.

With that said, everyone piled on the couch and got their own tubs of ice cream- the girls having bought more than one flavour considering they didn't know your preference- and popped in a movie. The ice cream felt good on your throat; easily sliding down the scratchy surface, and you sighed with relief before taking another scoop.

It was about half way through the movie when Sans and Papyrus had to leave for their jobs- unable to stay home for more than a day at home to take care of you. Leaving you in the capable arms of the girls, they gave you "kisses" before taking their leave. You sighed softly, stretching out on the extra space and lazily scooped more ice cream into your mouth.

"A-are you alright, friend?" Alphys called out, looking over to you from where she was seated. You smiled and nodded, licking your ice cream covered lips.

"Tired, if anything. I'll probably need to reheat some soup soon, and take some medicine before I fall back asleep."

"Sleep?!" Undyne cried, standing up. "You can't just sleep your illness away! NGAHH!" Shouting, she took away your ice cream before picking you up and placing you on your feet. 

You wobbled a bit from the fast paced movement, and frowned. "But that's how we get over our illnesses. We rest." You paused for a moment before giving her a flat look. “And I was eating that.”

“Pssh,” She waved you off. "I read that exercise and intense heat can get rid of an illness  _ way _ faster than some crumby sleeping!" Flexing with a grin, Undyne pounded her chest. "Who better than to help you with exercising than me?!"

Alphys stuttered from her seat, poking her fingers together. "I-I'm not sure if that's really true, Undyne; p-perhaps we should just let them rest..."

Undyne didn't reply as she grabbed you by the waist and moved you to the side before clearing the living room area free of anything. "Alright, I want ten rounds of running back and forth!" You wrinkled your nose, already feeling like this was going to be a bad idea. "Well?! Get moving!" You shrugged and started doing- light- jogs around the living room, trying to ignore the way your stomach churned slightly at the motions of movement.

"That's so wimpy! C'mon, put some more backbone into it!" You snorted at the familiar pun, moving a bit faster. Your panting was coming out harsh sounding- your throat feeling cold on the inside as you tried to retain some air- and you wiggled off your hoodie, unable to stand the heat much longer. One of the brothers must have put you back in while you were sleeping.   
  
You tossed it on to the couch, doing light stretches to ease your already aching muscles. The girls were only slightly surprised by your lack of bandages, and smiled happily. "That's more like it! Come on; I want fifteen push-ups! Let's go!"

And on the hour went; doing exercise after exercise and feeling sicker by the second. Taking a small water break, you bite your lower lip as you feel a familiar urge well up in your throat. Undyne slapped your back joyfully, grinning from earfin to earfin. "Well done, human! I'm surprised you did so well!"

You grinned weakly back, trying to push back the near overwhelming urge to throw up as you slowly pulled away. "Y-yeah. Was great... I'm going to go upstairs now." Undyne snapped back, as if hit, and frowned.

"But we were just getting started! You need to burn off the illness if you want to get better!"

Waving her off, you quickly stumbled up the stairs to the bathroom, only to be stopped by Alphys. "A-are you alright? You don't look so good." Whimpering, you clambered up faster; barely making it to the bathroom toilet before releasing your barf inside of it- groaning heavily between each hurl.

The girls panicked outside the door- not really knowing what to do- and you chuckled weakly; pushing back what hair was going in your face and wiping your mouth with a piece of toilet paper. "Guys, chill. I just needed to vomit."

Undyne looked sick herself, eyeing you and the toilet disgustedly. "You needed to do what?! That sounded horrible!"

Alphys was clicking away at her phone, no doubt researching what just happened. "I-It says here that humans vomit to release any bacteria that could be causing their illness. Excessive vomiting is not recommended, but a healthy amount- about once or twice a day- can help to lead to a better health overall while being sick."

Undyne looked like she was mixed between being happy her workout session worked, and disgusted with the act of vomiting. "You humans sure are nasty. I don't envy you, kid." Snorting, you flushed the toilet and wobbled over to the sink; washing your mouth out with the water quickly to get rid of the bad taste.

Sighing, you patted your face with a damp rag before throwing it in the hamper; walking out of the bathroom slowly. Alphys worriedly reached up and touched your face, you giving a slight sigh at her cold hand. Well, cold hand compared to your flushed face.

"I think it's best if you go lay back down," She said, pulling her hand away. “W-we will bring you some medicine. S-Sans said it was… p-pills?" You nodded numbly, feeling slightly disoriented. Leading you back to your room, the girls slid you into your bed and helped you underneath your covers; quickly laying a wet rag on your forehead and turning off your light.

Alphys quickly dashed downstairs before heading back up and into your room with a small plastic cup of water and the box of pills. After reading the back, she gave you two of the pills and the cup of water. “O-one at a time- a-and drink slowly!”

You nodded, tossing each pill in after a sip of water before setting the cup down on your nearby desk and laid back down with a sigh.

"We'll be downstairs if you need anything, kid," Undyne gruffly said, running a hand through her hair. You nodded, eyes soon closing not long after the two bid you goodnight and left the door open a crack. You shifted in your bed to go to sleep when you felt a presence in your room that hadn't been there before, and you looked around to find the form of Gaster.

Biting back a surprised yelp, you looked at him curiously before slowly bringing out your hands and signing out to him, _ "Hello. Did you need something?"  _ He looked surprised before smiling wide; his face crinkling with warmth that it didn't usually carry.

He signed slowly back, making sure you understood.  _ "I came to see you. How are you fairing?" _

You made the motion for so-so, before bringing your thumb to your chin- the rest of your fingers splayed out wide and your palm facing to the left- before pushing it forward and making a throw up face.  _ "Sick. Not well." _ His face seemed to contort into sadness, wobbling forward and patting your head gently. You smiled softly, leaning against his hand. It was comforting to know someone was watching out for you.

He pulled his hand away before signing again.  _ "Would you like me to stay? Should I leave?" _ You shook your head lightly, so as not to upset your throbbing headache, and patted your bed after scooting over for him to sit. He did so after a moment of thought, and smiled down at you.  _ "Would you like to hear a story?" _

Nodding happily, you snuggled into your blanket and watched Gaster's hands as they wove a tale about a younger version of Papyrus and Sans who always got into trouble together. You giggled softly, feeling drowsy after a while, and sleepily asked a few questions here and there before Gaster patted your head again.  _ "Rest, dear child. Thank you for taking the time to listen to an old man's tales. But you must sleep now." _

Nodding again, you patted his hand before closing your eyes and drifting off into a dreamless sleep; happy to have made Gaster not feel as lonely. Hours later- but what really felt like a few minutes to you- you vaguely heard your door creak open and felt a bony hand on your head; your eyes fluttering open at the action. "Shit, sorry, bud. Didn't mean to wake you." Sans grimaced before you shook your head, smiling softly at him.

"How're you feeling? Undyne and Alphys told me you, uh, threw up?" Wrinkling your nose you nodded, not feeling up for conversation. You simply grabbed his hand and put it against your cheek; sighing softly at the cold contact. Sans merely chuckled and moved to sit on the edge of your bed; not moving his hand. "All right bud, I get it. You want me to tell you about my day?"

Smiling widely, you nodded against his hand, causing it to twitch lightly against your cheek. He began telling you about how his day went; the puns he told and the people he saw- big, small, rude, or kind. You hummed softly, telling him quietly your day with the girls; lightly dusting over the vomiting section with a disgusted look before slowly mentioning Gaster. It always seemed like a touchy subject for him, but you smiled mischievously as you retold a bit of the story Gaster had told you- specifically parts where Sans had gotten in trouble. He flushed, rubbing the back of his skull with a small laugh. It was good to see him smile- flustered or otherwise.

You patted his hand softly, weaving your fingers into his hand as you closed your eyes with a sigh. "I'll let you rest, bud." He murmured, squeezing your hand gently. "You need anything before I go?" You pouted, wanting to keep the skeleton with you, but ultimately shook your head. He chuckled, "kissing" your forehead gently before pulling away.

"I'll let the others know you're going back to sleep. I'll do my best to keep them quiet, but uh; you know them." You nodded; they were certainly a loud bunch. At least Alphys could be kept quiet, so long as no one brought up Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 or whatever her least favourite anime was.

Turning on your side, you hummed softly as Sans ran his bones through your hair; swiftly reclaiming sleep with ease.

 

* * *

 

Sans was quiet for a while, making certain that you wouldn't wake up before talking in a strange tongue. "You better not be hurting them, Gaster." The form of the first royal scientist emerged from the shadows, sweeping the room with familiar ease.

_ "Certainly not. The child has a good head on their shoulders and are not easily swayed by this old bag of bones."  _ Gaster grinned wryly, his gooey, tar like form wriggling around in slow waves.

Sans chuckled dryly, still running his fingers through your hair. "That's for certain." They were both quiet for a moment before Sans spoke again. "Did you have to tell them that story by the way?" He slid a look over to the chuckling man, his grin definitely more troubled but not angry.

_ "They seemed to enjoy hearing about you and Papyrus. Perhaps you should tell them more about yourself? I feel they grow quite curious." _ Sans hummed, moving his hand to stroke your arm before covering it with a blanket. It wouldn't do well to leave any of your skin uncovered.  _ "Perhaps you should get to know them more as well. The story they told of the boy was left hanging." _

Boy? Sans thought back to when you talked about your past; having heard through the door about your tale of your neck scar. He sighed, shrugging. "Not my place to ask, Doc. They can tell me when they're good and ready."

Gaster's face took a grim look, shaking his head slowly.  _ "There may not be time for 'good and ready'. I feel many obstacles heading your way, Sans. Do your best to stay strong for yourself- and them." _

Sans turned his head to look at the doctor to understand what he meant, but only came across nothing but the emptiness of your room. Sighing, he patted your hair one last time before quietly creeping out of the room.  _ 'Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean, I hope you're right.' _

This wasn't going to be a good time. He could feel it in his bones.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're feeling better! Yay!  
> You also get to meet an old friend. Double yay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My deepest apologies for updating late today- post turkey food coma really hit me hard. Was feeling a bit queasy when I woke up, so I didn't get up for another hour till I felt better enough to move. Super sorry again!
> 
> And great googly moogly. You people are so freaking sweet. I love ya'll.<3 You're the best.  
> \------

Stretching in your bed with a sigh, you smiled as your body felt refreshed, and much healthier than yesterday- if a little grungy and sore from working out. Gathering your clothes, you walked to the bathroom with a pep in your step; taking a nice, refreshing shower before drying and brushing your hair, and brushing your teeth.

Getting dressed quickly, you headed downstairs and into the kitchen; feeling bold enough to make some breakfast for you and your boys. With a grin, you grabbed the necessary ingredients for pancakes and bacon; quickly whipping up a few bad batches (the first ones were always bad), before easing into the motions, and making a large stack- whipping up a good portion of bacon to go with.

Placing them on the table, you quickly got some butter, syrup, ketchup, and fruits that you found hidden in the freezer; making a mental note to buy some more from the store today.

"Mornin', bud." Sans called out sleepily from the kitchen doorway, and you grinned, giving him a wave.

"Morning. Hope you like pancakes!" Scratching his bones, he went and sat down at the table; eagerly picking out a few pieces for himself.

"I like most foods, _tibia_ -nest." He grinned over at you as you snorted, humming softly as you placed a cup of milk by him and kissed his skull; sitting down next to him with your own glass of milk.

He gave you a fond look as his cheek bones turned a faint blue before turning back to his pancakes. "Ya feelin' better?" You nodded, taking a bite of your pancakes with a sigh. They weren't bad for a first time. Definitely needed more milk though.

"Much better. I could probably go do some work today if I tried." Sans hummed, taking a sip of his milk. You stared for a moment, idly wondering where the liquid- and food, for that matter- went, before going back to stuffing your own face.

Magic stuff, probably.

"You mind if I follow you to work today?" He asked suddenly, causing you to blink in surprise.

"Uh... I guess not?" Scratching your head, you could probably think of a few excuses to your boss to letting Sans join you on the floor- though you doubted he would even do anything other than talk to you or watch. Or even nap.

He was too much of a lazybones to help out. Shrugging, you gave him a questioning look. "Why do you suddenly want to come follow me to work? You've never been interested before."

He shrugged back, playing with the remains of his meal. Narrowing your eyes, you reached over very slowly- keeping your face serious- as you poked his cheek bone lightly; causing him to blink in surprise. "Don't lie to me, Sans. Is there something wrong? Are you worried I'll get sick at work?"

He flushed, looking away, and you couldn't help but smile. He was too cute when he was flustered.

"It's just-"

Whatever he had to say was quickly covered up by Papyrus, who loudly entered the kitchen.

"Good morning Sans! And wonderful human friend; good morning to you too! I see you are feeling much better today!" You smiled softly at the taller skeleton, nodding at his comment. "I am glad to hear that! I was... getting quite worried for you for a bit there. But! With my help, you are back in tip top shape!"

You chuckled, grinning wide and watching with a mischievous glint in your eye as Papyrus grabbed some milk from the fridge and poured a glass before sitting down at the table.

"Yes you did, Pap'. Thanks for your help." You leaned over and gave him a peck on his cheek in thanks, snickering as he sat up straighter and bloomed like a red rose.

"Y-You're very w-welcome, friend! A-Anything for you!" You shook your head, patting his hand before turning back to your meal. Glancing at Sans- who was now just watching you two interact- you raised an eyebrow in question. He gave the tiniest shake of his head, and you nodded in turn; taking bite of your bacon.

Soon enough, the taller skeleton bid you both farewell and headed off to train with Undyne- but not before letting you pepper him with goodbye kisses. It was a tradition nowadays to always give kisses to those who were leaving. You didn't mind; it was cute that the brother's always wanted a form of affection before leaving.

Closing the door, you looked at your shorter skeleton companion with a stern look. "All right, Pap's gone. Why the sudden want to follow me around?" He wrung his hands together before sighing, stuffing them into his shorts pockets.

"Gaster told me something bad was going to happen sometime soon." He frowned, turning his head away from you. "Just wanted to be with ya in case it happened."

Blinking, your mouth curled into a small smile as you kneeled down and kissed Sans' forehead. "That's very sweet of you, Sans. Thank you for wanting to look out for me." Giving him a few more kisses, you stood up carefully before grinning at your dazed and much bluer skeleton. "But I'm a grown adult, and I can take whatever life throws at me. Okay?"

He pouted, and nodded reluctantly. Grabbing your keys, you gave him a wave. "I'll see you in a few, okay? And no following me around. I can always get Gaster to tell me if you're nearby." He sighed dramatically before nodding with a smile, and you grinned back before walking out the door, and locking it behind you.

It didn't take long to get to work, and after clearing it with your boss, you were allowed to do light manual labor on the floor. Only small to medium boxes, no large crates or machinery like you normally would on Tuesdays. You appreciated the thought that your boss had taken your illness into consideration.

He was a sweet man, and knew when to not push his workers. Still one hell of a slave driver though; albeit a nicer one.

Taking a small lunch break, you headed to the break room to grab a snack and water when you noticed the shadows in the room seemed more... noticeable that before. Nobody was in the break room with you, and you quickly locked the door behind you before calling out. "...Gaster?"

The friendly and familiar blob of a skeleton soon formed from the shadows in the room, giving a slight wave of his hand. You smiled softly, and signed quickly. _"Need something?"_

He nodded, moving forward a bit while signing. _"Sans told you that obstacles are headed your way, correct?"_ You nodded, and he gave a sigh- but filled the room with the sound of static, rather than a breath of air. _"He asked me to keep an eye on you for the day. He is very worried for you."_

Smiling wryly, you shook your head. _"He's quite the worry-wart when he wants to be. Though he pretends to be a big guy."_ You snorted, giving a small chuckle. _"Thank you for looking out for me, but I'll be okay. Feel free to stay close to me in the shadows if you'd like though."_

He smiled wide, and nodded enthusiastically, before melting into your shadow on the tiled floor. Seems your short skeleton wasn't the only worry-wart, you thought with a wide grin.

Quickly unlocking the door and grabbing your snack and drink, you finished your meal before heading back out on to the floor; making sure no one could tell the differences between your shadow and their own. Nobody seemed to notice, and after looking, it didn't even look that different from their own. It was maybe just a slightly different shade darker than anyone else.

Shrugging, you went back to work for the rest of your shift; snickering to yourself whenever Gaster's shadow slid on to one of the sides of the boxes you were going to pick up and made silly faces at you.

As you worked- and somewhat goofed off with Gaster- your mind wandered to what Sans and Gaster meant as 'obstacles' that would affect you poorly.

What was considered as an obstacle? A cold? An injury? Someone trying to mug you on the street?

Sighing, you pulled at the collar of your hoodie and resisted the urge to take it off; remembering that, out of pure habit, you forgot to re-bandage yourself this morning. It was only a bit cooler inside of it now, without the usual itchy gauze, but it was still pretty hot after working for a few hours straight. Wiping your brow, you noticed it was five minutes to closing, and you grinned; speedily getting the rest of your boxes set and cleared out your area before clocking out.

Humming to yourself, you casually walked over to a nearby alleyway and slid in, tapping your toes to the ground. "Gaster? Can you let Sans know that I'm going shopping? I don't have a phone, so I can't call him or anything..."

Gaster popped up from the ground and gave you the 'okay' symbol before disappearing again- though this time fading out from sight, instead of flowing into the shadows.

Grinning, you walked back out of the alleyway before heading to the nearby store; thinking specifically on what you needed. Pasta, pasta sauce, ketchup; those frozen fruits that you used the last of this morning, some more bread. Sans had taken up to drinking hot sauce recently due to the cold weather, so maybe you should pick up a bottle of that too...

You blinked as you paused on the sidewalk, watching as your shadow wriggled underneath your feet; snickering as you realized it was Gaster's way of letting you know he was back. Glancing around you before giving him a wave, you stepped into the store.

Humming softly to yourself, you smiled at a nearby clerk before grabbing a hand basket and headed off to the pasta section. Papyrus had been asking when he could try making lasagna with you, and you grinned as you took a few boxes off the shelf. No doubt you'd need more than one, considering his ability to forget that you two were cooking.

No, it was absolutely not your fault that he initiated kissing times during your cooking sessions that distracted you from watching the pot boil and not go over.

You ignored the odd look from a nearby employee who was stacking some pasta on the shelves as your cheeks burned from the memory, quickly moving down the aisle to grab a few pasta sauces you knew he liked. He had grown fond of the meat sauce kind, but you heard that it was better to make the meat part yourself using hamburger instead of whatever processed good was in the container.

You chuckled as you grabbed two large containers of regular pasta sauce; feeling silly from how ridiculous your hand basket looked at the moment.

You glanced down at your feet in surprise as you moved to the next aisle, confused as to why Gaster was freaking out, when you bumped hard into a man's chest. Stumbling back a bit, you slowly pinwheeled your left arm to not fall, and sighed when the person you bumped into pulled you back into a standing position.

"Thanks," You sighed out, readjusting your hold on your basket. You vaguely noticed your shadow was stock still before turning up your eyes to the stranger. "and, uh, sorry for bumping into you."

Your eyes met, and you couldn't help but notice his beautiful, cheery brown eyes before taking a small step back and taking in a better look of him. He was a relatively well-built male, about mid-twenties to early thirties, with a nice bit of scruff on his face. He had wispy, brown/blonde mixed hair that was slightly gelled into a pompadour- though it was leaning a bit to the right.

He stepped back for a moment too, in surprise, and grinned wide as he called your name happily.

"...huh?" You asked eloquently, blinking. You looked around before pointing to yourself in question, which he chuckled and nodded at. "I-I'm sorry, do I... know you?" His happy- elated, even- look turned sad at your question, and you shuffled a bit in your spot. "Sorry, I don't... you look kinda familiar, but..."

Taking a better look at him, you squinted before your eyes widened in surprise.

"...Chance?"

 

* * *

 

You couldn't believe it. It had been years since his sentence ended, and you waited another half a year afterwards for him to come find you. Yet here you are, meeting awkwardly in a store after literally bumping into each other. You glanced at him again, noting he was much bigger than when you saw him last. Probably worked out a lot in jail.

"S-so, uh," You started off, scratching your cheek. "How... have you been?" He snorted, smiling softly over at you, and you couldn't help but flush in response. He was still as cute as ever. You could barely stop yourself from smiling wide at the thought of him getting all the ladies after he got out of jail looking like this.

"I've been all right. Jail never makes you a kind person, but I think I've done well since then. How have you been?" He reached out and stroked your cheek a bit, grazing over a few scars. "You look healthy, though a bit banged up."

Smiling a bit, you motioned to your basket. "I'm doing well. I got a job after a while, and I'm living with two, uh, friends of mine." Biting your lip, you hesitated for a moment before leaping forward and bringing him into a hug. "I-I've missed you though."

It didn't take him more than a second to wrap you up in his warm and muscular arms; the familiar smell of trees and a newer scent of smoke wrapping you up in a bear hug. You sighed softly, snuggling close. Yes; you had definitely missed Chance. It hurt a lot when he didn't immediately come home after his sentence.

"I've missed you too Shorty," He joked, squeezing you tight. Giving a laugh, you pulled away with a smile. "How about we shop together? Talk about how we've been."

You agreed and took his hand, leading him to the next aisle as you told him about your new friends; he telling you about how he had been living and how things had been for him since his sentencing.

"It's definitely been difficult." He murmured, squeezing your hand. You squeezed it back reassuringly, with a bright smile.

"Well it won't be anymore. I've found you and you're certainly not leaving my sight!" He laughed, quickly pulling you into a half hug around your shoulders before picking out his food items.

It seemed all too soon when you got to the register, and even sooner that you stepped out of the store with him.

Shifting on your feet, you gave a half wave "I've gotta get back home. Sans and Papyrus are waiting for me." You grinned as he barked a laugh and shook his head.

"Still can't believe their named after fonts. But I get it. Maybe we can schedule something? How about this weekend?" Smiling brightly, you agreed. After giving your address, and he gave his, you gave him another tight hug before pulling away.

"See you this weekend!" You cheered and waved before walking home; the happiest you had been in a while.

You never noticed, however, as Gaster slid himself from your shadow and popped up from the ground, watching you sadly with a frown as you walked away; vanishing quickly from sight.

 

* * *

 

Opening the door with a flourish, you hummed happily as you set down the groceries by the door and closed it; quickly taking off your extra clothes in the warm house. "Sans, Papyrus; I'm home!"

"Oh goodie!" Papyrus' muffled shout came from in his room, and you grinned as he stepped out.

"Wanna help me put away groceries?"

But before you could even finish asking, he was down the steps and grabbing the majority of the bags before charging into the kitchen. You laughed, grabbing the rest and following after.

You couldn't remove the smile from your face as you both floated around the kitchen, humming quietly to yourself. You noticed Papyrus' bones being more jittery than usual, and cocked an eyebrow at him. "What are you shaking over there for, Mister Skele-tall?"

He tried to frown- or maybe make an angry face- at you, but couldn't help but give a small chuckle. "I have exciting news that I wish to share with you and Sans! I have been waiting for you both to get home, and I must admit, it has not been easy being patient."

You grinned over at him, putting away some hamburger in the fridge. "Well, I guess we both have great news to share then, huh?"

Papyrus gasped, clapping his hands as he jumped up and down. "Oh! You have wonderful news to share as well? Please, please, tell! I want to know!"

You snickered at his eagerness, but shook your head. "Nope! Gotta wait til Sans gets here too!" You watched as his expression fell a bit and he pouted slightly, crossing his arms. "Aw, c'mon Papyrus, I want to tell you both at the same time too!"

He huffed, putting away his pasta gently before closing the pantry door with vigor. "Fine! But I would like to share my news first, if you wouldn't mind...?" You shook your head, grinning wide.

"Of course not, Pap's! I'm curious about it. It has to be good to have you in such a fantastic mood like this!"

"Oh it is the best news!" Papyrus placed his hands on his skull as he danced in his spot- mostly just tapping his feet excited on the ground.

"Jeez, bro, careful. With that kind of speed, you'll be as fast as your car." Sans joked, walking into the kitchen, giving you a wink. You waved happily to him, giving Papyrus a look.

"All right, what's your great news, Pap?"

He squealed, running over to grab you before going to Sans and bringing you both into a tight hug. "I was just promoted at my job and got a raise! My boss told me I had been doing very well recently and very much deserved it! I am so happy!"

You gasped despite not being able to breath much from Papyrus' tight hold, and shifted around a bit to hug him back. "Papyrus! That's amazing! Oh my god, I'm so happy for you; we have to celebrate!"

"Wow bro. I knew you were really cool already, but this makes you ten times cooler." Sans quipped from where he was dangling slightly in Papyrus' arms, a wide grin on his face. He was practically beaming with pride for his brother, and you could feel it radiating from him. "Our pal's right; we gotta celebrate."

Papyrus looked like he was ready to cry happy tears, but gently set you both back on your feet before sniffling. "Thank you Sans, and human friend." He stroke a heroic pose, his scarf cape fluttering in nonexistent wind. "I shall continue to do my best as a waiter! Soon I will climb to the top and be the manager waiter!"

You stifled a laugh, sharing a look with Sans- who simply shrugged- and nodded over to Papyrus. "We'll be right here supporting you all the way, Paps'!"

He grinned wide before gasping again. "Friend it is your turn for great news!" You flushed, smiling softer as you thought back to your afternoon.

"You guys remember my, er, story on New Years? About this scar?" You trailed your finger over the scar, and the boys nodded, looking slightly worried. You grinned wide, nearly vibrating with energy. "Well, I bumped into Chance today! And he wants to hang out with me this weekend! Isn't that great?"

Papyrus nodded enthusiastically, sweeping you up into a hug again. "Oh friend, that is wonderful! Perhaps Sans and I could meet him? We would love to say hello to such a good friend of yours!" He was dancing in his spot again, eye sockets sparkling. "Does he enjoy pasta? Perhaps we should all go out together! It would be a joyous experience for all of us to bond over the wonders of spaghetti and for you two to reconnect over so many years lost!"

You laughed as he swung you from side to side, holding on to his shoulders. "M-maybe not this weekend Paps; I think he was wanting to meet up alone. But next weekend maybe? Or during the week if we're free; I'll need to check up with his schedule when we meet up again."

You stroked your chin in thought. "I don't think he's had pasta before, to be honest. We were both dirt poor, and ended up stealing small things to get by. Having it with you was the first time I had ever had it, too." You gave him a sheepish grin as he stared at you in surprise.

"This will not do! Everyone should know the wonders of spaghetti! And I am glad to have been the one to introduce it do you, friend! That makes it extra special." He grinned wide before 'nyeh'-ing in surprise. "OH! I am certain Undyne and Alphys would love to meet him as well! Perhaps we could all have a night together?"

"Easy there bro," Sans spoke up, patting Papyrus on his arm. "One thing at a time. First, we gotta celebrate you and your big promotion. Then our pal here will go hang out during the weekend, and we can plan from there."

You grinned down at Sans and nodded. "Sans is right. One step at a time!" You pecked Papyrus' teeth before jumping down from his hold; stretching your body a bit. Gathering the ingredients for lasagna, you showed them to Papyrus to gain his attention and snickered as he moved faster than ever to grab a pan.

Sans moved over to your other side to stay out of the future war zone, his grin becoming strained. "You, uh, sure it was your pal, pal?" You gave him a confused glance, sliding in the pasta to the pan Papyrus brought out. "Some humans are weird and act like something their not, ya know..."

"Sans," You chided gently, handing Papyrus the pasta sauce. "It was Chance. We talked about things no one else would- or could- ever know from our past." You paused for a moment to grab a large spoon to smooth the sauce over the pasta with; glancing at Sans again. "I know you're still worried for my safety, but it'll be okay. Chance is my best friend; there's nothing we wouldn't do for each other."

Sans seemed to hesitate on saying something before sighing and shaking his head. "You're... you're right, pal. Sorry; just... I don't want to see you getting hurt anymore."

You sighed, passing Papyrus the spoon before kneeling down to Sans and kissing his forehead. "I told you before; I'm an adult. I can handle whatever comes my way. But I appreciate your concern Sans. If you're that worried, I'll keep an eye on him to see if he does anything. He has been away for a while, and I'm sure he's changed a bit- especially from prison. If he goes out of line, I'll let him know, okay?"

He nodded, and you gave him another small kiss before turning back to Papyrus and helped with the rest of dinner; enjoying the small (large) talk and made sure to keep an eye on Sans throughout and after dinner.

It was concerning with how worried about Chance he was, but you figured it was just mild jealousy with having to share you with someone new. It would rest after a while, and when they got to know each other- you were certain of it.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys meet Chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry (again) for the late update. I'm going to bed early (like 8 pm early) but I just seem to keep sleeping in later and later. Super weird.  
> Oh well. Enjoy the chapter! <3  
> WARNING: Really long chapter. Like, really long. That's about it, though.  
> \------

Inviting Undyne and Alphys over for the celebration for Papyrus' promotion and raise went about as well as expected. Which is to say very well. They brought gifts over- Undyne surprising him with a rapier and Alphys brought him a steering wheel cover, covered in Mettaton and Mettaton EX 'chibis' (whatever that meant). Everyone had a lot of fun; Papyrus probably having the most. He nearly cried twice from being over emotional; initiating group hugs multiple times throughout the night.

Playing board games, munching on delicious food, and sharing kisses throughout the night, you enjoyed yourself with the comfortable relaxation with your friends; muching on a slice of cheesy pizza.

"Oh yes, friend!" Papyrus called out as he gulped down his bite of spaghetti pizza. You were at least 90% sure they had that made specifically for him. "Shall we tell the girls your grand news as well?"

"What?" Undyne snapped her eyes over to you, gawking in surprise. "You been holding out on us, punk? Spill!" You snorted, taking another bite of your pizza.

"Hardly," You leaned back in your seat, sending her an excited grin. "Remember my scar story on New Years? Well, I bumped into Chance while at the store the other day, and we set up a meet up for this weekend."

Alphys gasped, clapping her claws together. "Oh th-that's wonderful! Oh th-this is just l-like my anime's! Y-you bump into each o-other and catch up, a-and everyone w-will become best friends!"

"I wanna meet 'em!" Undyne grinned wide, her razor sharp teeth slightly less frightening due to the bit of cheese stuck in there. "Gotta see how strong he is. You said humans usually get massively strong in 'jail', right? How much stronger did he look?"

You flushed slightly, remembering how much bigger Chance seemed. Sans shifted slightly next to you, munching quietly on his pizza. "A lot bigger- ah, muscle and height wise. He definitely worked out while in jail."

Undyne wiggled her eyebrows, and you laughed as Alphys turned red at her implications. "Big, eh? Guess you two nerds have some competition."

"Kinda hard to compete when ya don't have any muscle to compete with, Undyne." Sans sassed, giving her an odd look you couldn't really identify. She snorted in response, rolling her eye.

"Whatever; you can still be stronger. Well maybe not you, you lazybones. Paps here, though, could probably take him down."

Papyrus puffed his chest out in pride before sheepishly relaxing some. "Um, I'd rather not, actually. I do not want to hurt him; I'm sure our friend here would not appreciate that."

You nodded, sending him an appreciative look. "Yeah, that's probably for the best. We don't want to scare him off, you know?"

Undyne sighed, obviously disappointed. "Whatever, you giant wimps. I'll ask him for a battle that he can't refuse!" You sent her a flat look that made her pout slightly. "...and maybe take it easy on him."

You rolled your eyes, taking another bite of your pizza.

"NGAH!" She shouted, throwing her pizza on her plate; sending it splattering all over. "You nerds are so lame! You act like humans are so fragile and made of glass!"

"U-Undyne, please!" Alphys begged, reaching out to her arm; sending nervous glances your way.

You were surprised at her sudden- or seemingly sudden to you- anger to the sitution as she crossed her arms and pointedly looked away from all of you.

"Well, I can assure you that we aren't made of glass," You began slowly, tilting your head. "But we do break pretty easily. I don't know any specifics- I barely know jack-shit about what goes on in the human body- but we do break and heal much faster than any other... non-magical being on the earth. I think." You scratched your cheek in thought.

Alphys blinked owlishly at you, confused. "Wh-what do you mean? H-how come you don't kn-know anything about it?" She sounded genuinely confused, you sent her a strained grin.

"I didn't get to go to school like most kids. I was either at home, out and about with Chance, or out and about stealing to get by. I had to learn the rules of the streets rather than stick my nose in books. Though I did that sometimes anyways so I could learn a few things, or if I was bored."

"Why didn't ya go to school?" Sans asked, eye sockets slightly crunched in bewilderment. "Ain't there a law or somethin' like that?"

"Yeah, but with a family of five other kids all fighting for the scrap of food in the house, and only enough money going to the parents for them to buy booze or party, you didn't have money to get an education- or time even." You explained. "You were more worried about how you were going to get a meal that day, and how to get away if you were caught stealing again."

The monsters looked at you in disbelief, concern washing over all their faces. You blinked, raising an eyebrow in question. "What? I managed. It was harder without Chance, sure, but I ended up stealing from the trash cans outside the warehouse where I work now. So it's fine."

You were a little uncomfortable- and slightly embarrassed- from the stares; shifting in your seat.

"Damn," Undyne scrunched up her eyebrows, scratching her cheek awkwardly. "I knew humans were pretty awful- no offense," You shrugged, "But... your parents didn't like... Care about you? Or for you?"

You shrugged again, pushing your paper plate to the side with the crust of your pizza on top of it, brushing your hands clean. "Nah. My parents weren't... they weren't the best. I don't think they even ever wanted children- or maybe they did, and everything just snowballed down hill and went shitty."

Picking at your nails, you avoided their looks. "We hate each other, to be honest. They didn't want to see me- or "take care of me"- anymore after Chance went to jail, and neither did his family, so I left. No love lost there though; we weren't close."

Papyrus wrung his hands together, also looking very uncomfortable. "That is... quite terrible, friend. For monsters, children are a joy!" He smiled, though it was not as cheery as it usually was. "To have them, you really have to want them entirely. It is much more complex than how humans have to deal with it. I think."

...You really hoped he didn't know how humans conceived babies.

Alphys looked rather nervous at that comment; steadily turning red in the face and looking away from Sans' narrowed eye sockets.

Wait. Oh god.

"No," You looked over to Alphys, giving her a half glare. "Please tell me you didn't."

"I d-didn't!" She squeaked, throwing up her hands to placate you and Sans. "P-please, I didn't t-tell h-him anything! I s-swear!"

Undyne looked confused before looking back and forth between the confused face of Papyrus and her panicking girlfriend; barking a laugh out as she slammed her fist into the ground.

"Oh my GOD!" She grinned wide, leaning in close to Alphys. "Please tell me you DID!"

"Undyne!" You chided, trying to stifle your laughter. Sans was sweating slightly on his skull, fully glaring at the girls as Undyne lost it and rolled on the floor; Alphys looking like she wished she could melt into the the floor.

"I do not believe I understand what we are talking about," Papyrus spoke, looking between all of you.

You couldn't hold his gaze, flushing bright red as Undyne started laughing again; pointing to you as she held her stomach.

"Nothin', Paps," Sans drawled, watching Undyne and Alphys freak out. He glanced over at you, a sly grin growing on his face, and you stiffened, shoving his arm slightly.

"Shut it, Sans. I don't want to hear a word from you." You hissed, glaring heatedly as the burning on your cheeks grew. He chuckled, putting his own hands up to placate you.

"Wasn't going to say anything, pal."

"Uh huh. Can we switch topics now?"

"Sure," Undyne sat up from the ground, adjusting her eye patch that had slightly shifted from her laughing schpeal. She breathed in deeply, letting out a long sigh as she grinned widely. "So how about that human, eh? When can we meet 'em?"

You grumbled slightly, ignoring the way her eyebrows wiggled suggestively- tempted to throw your crust at her- and huffed. "I don't know yet. We'll be doing something this weekend, and after that, I'll introduce you all when I know his schedule, so we can sync it up to ours." You put a hand to your chin thinking. "Wonder what kind of job he has. Something shitty, I'm sure, considering."

"Considering?" Alphys asked, taking a bite of her pizza. You snorted as her cheeks grew a bit in size, chuckling more as they grew red in embarrassment.

"Yeah, when you go to prison- or jail- it gets harder to find jobs, cause you have a record of not being a "civil citizen" or whatever." You scoffed, rolling your eyes. "So you end up having to get shitty jobs so you can live. And they won't pay much either."

"Wow. Humans have to deal with a lot of bullshit." Undyne huffed, scowling slightly. "Back Underground, you were expected to pull your weight, and if you caused any problems, you dealt with it yourself, or the Royal Guard would get involved." She grinned wide, though it seemed more malicious than normal. "That's where I'd come in and give them a knuckle sandwich to teach them a lesson! Fuhuhu!"

"And I would help!" Papyrus cheered, eye sockets sparkling. "I would always give the hooligans a long lecture about causing issues among the Underground."

"Yeah, and then they'd fall asleep!" Undyne cackled, slapping her hand on Papyrus' back. "Big dork would talk for so long that they'd either try to leave or would just fall asleep! Right in front of him!" She smiled, snickering to herself. "I'd always jerk them awake or yell at them to pay attention; telling them that it was their punishment."

"So you two were apart of the 'Royal Guard'?" You questioned, tilting your head. Undyne stiffened slightly, looking oddly ashamed as Papyrus pouted.

"Not quite, friend. Undyne was the Captain of the Royal Guard; I was a Royal Guard in training!" He puffed up his chest again, smiling wide. "I would have been one day if it hadn't disbanded when we came to the surface though! That I am sure about!"

"Yeah, Papyrus was a great trainee," Undyne complimented, smiling softly at Papyrus. "One of my best. Damn strong too!" Papyrus flushed, smiling wide.

You smiled at the two best friends as they bantered between themselves; glad that they loved each other and cared for one another so much. It honestly reminded you of yourself and Chance at times, though slightly different at other times.

"Whatever. But anyways; I can't wait to meet the other human meat!" Undyne slammed her fist into her other hand, grinning wide. "Fuhuhu! It'll be great!"

"Yeah, I think you guys will like each other!" You clenched your hands into fists, sitting up excitedly. "Oh, I have to tell you about the time he got stuck inside a window. We were climbing in to another building where we hid our snacks- we had tons all over the place in case we lost one- and I went in first like usual..."

You shared fun stories of your past, laughing and having a great time; cheering for Papyrus at the end of the night in congratulations for his promotion before everyone went to sleep for the night.

 

* * *

 

Sans creeped downstairs, as silently as possible, trying to make sure he didn't wake you or Papyrus up. Finally getting downstairs, he snapped his fingers and dispelled the magic surrounding the wall, showing a hidden door.

Stepping inside quickly, he threw up the spell again to mask the door on the other side; closing and locking it before stepping down into his lab. Flicking on the lights, he wasn't surprised to see Gaster sitting in front of the machine, waiting for him.

He stayed silent as he grabbed his lab coat and threw it on, moving to stand next to Gaster by the machine as they stared at it in silence.

A few minutes turned into nearly ten when Gaster finally spoke. _"...There are many, many different timelines with our friend that this... Chance... creates a rift between you three, and harms them. Emotionally, mentally, physically..."_ He turned to Sans, broken eyes drooping sadly. _"It has already begun. I watched the whole transition at the store with them. It will be very physical this time around if we do not stop it in time."_

Sans inclined his head, allowing the words to drift over and around him. "Do you see any specifics? Any topics we can avoid, or situations that need to be changed?"

Gaster shook his head, looking down to the floor solemnly. _"It does not fully work that way, Sans. My deepest apologies. The most we can do is to work with what we can, and defuse any tense situations. Do not trust him under any regard."_

Sans sighed, closing his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nasal cavity. "...All right. I'm going to need you by them at every second you can be. You don't have to come out, unless they're in deep shit, but..."

A hand floated over and patted him gently and reassuringly on his shoulder. _"Do not worry Sans. I will do my best to protect them whenever they are far."_ Gaster turned to the machine again, a slightly reminiscent look resting on his face. _"They remind me of someone I cherished long ago. I will not let them down."_

Sans gave him a confused glance, but chuckled at the determined- if slightly crazed- look on him now. "I trust ya, G'. Don't do anything crazy, all right?"

Gaster turned to him with a serious look on his face, narrowing his one good eye. _"You as well. Do not let your emotions overrun you, Sans. It has many times before. They are not yet Bonded to you; they do not understand how you feel. Give them space, but let them know you are worried."_

Sans was baffled by the sudden lecture, wondering what he had done in previous timelines. Clenching his hand, he gave Gaster a nod. "You got it G'." Turning to his desk, he plopped himself on his chair, hunching over the table and began musing himself with his papers.

It took him a moment to run the thought through his head before turning a bright blue and sitting up straight. "W-wait, not Bonded yet? Whaddya mean yet?"

Turning to look behind him, he was only met with his empty lab and a familiar chuckle.

 

* * *

 

"Ready to go out?" You asked the brothers, sliding on your hoodie. They gave you thumbs up and you snorted. "Papyrus, are you... really sure that's what you want to wear?"

Decked out in basket ball 'shoulder pads', a hat, a shirt over his usual armor that said "Cool Dude" on it; shorts, and sneakers with his usual gloves, he looked ready for a basketball game rather than a date.

"Quite! It is my special date clothes!" His cheeks were stained red- though they have been since you asked them on a date- and his voice was a bit higher pitched than normal, but he looked excited. "I must say your special date clothes look very nice!"

You looked down at your outfit; a hoodie in your favourite colour, comfortable blue wash jeans and sneakers. "Thanks Papyrus. Felt like mixing it up today."

Sans was probably the only one who was still in their regular outfit, grinning wider as your eyes landed on him. "Ready to go out pal?"

You snorted, shaking your head as you grabbed your keys. "Mhm. Did you guys want to grab a bite out to eat first or just walk around a bit till we find something to do?"

The boys blinked, sharing a glance with one another. "You did not have anything pre-planned, friend?" Papyrus asked, confused. He quickly pulled out a book from somewhere- don't question it, it's for the best- and began thumbing through. "It says here that you are suppose to have something fun planned before. Are you not following the date rules?"

You blinked in return, looking over to Sans- who oh-so helpfully shrugged- before shrugging to Papyrus. "I didn't know there were any rules. This is my first real, er... relationship that involves dating. I just thought you were suppose to go out and enjoy each others company doing whatever. Did you want to follow the rules?"

Sans hummed, taking the book and began thumbing through it slowly; letting his eyes skim over the passages. "We could probably do both. Let Paps take the reign at the beginning before just chilling."

Papyrus hummed, putting a hand to his mandible. "I suppose that could work. I do wonder what you have in mind for this date, friend. Oh, but, yes; we should probably get something to eat first." Papyrus sent a look to both of you that read 'absolutely no to Grillby's'.

You weren't entirely sure how he pulled it off with no eyes, but it's there.

Grinning, you shook your head. "Nah, that's fine. I actually heard a new bakery just opened up a few blocks south from here; suppose to have really good donuts. I think it's run by a monster, but I wasn't sure."

"Oh, that must be Muffet's!" Papyrus clapped his hands together excitedly. "So she finally got her license to sell spider goods? How wonderful! We must pay a visit!"

...

"...Spider goods...?" You asked weakly, letting yourself be dragged out the door by Papyrus.

"Yes! It's tradition for her spider kin to be baked into the goods- spider cider, spider cresant, spider donuts; they are rather lovely, if at a... tall price." He sweat dropped, chuckling slightly.

Sans lagged behind with you, sending you a wink. "Don't worry about it; can't even taste the spiders. She usually covers them with chocolate or fills it with something. Tastes pretty good if I say so myself."

"That's because you enjoy eating everything brother," Papyrus sent him a teasing glance that you couldn't help but snicker at.

Sans shrugged, patting his 'belly'. "Hey, eating is great. Just below my favourite activity- sleeping."

"That's for certain."

You all talked and chattered about idle things as you walked to Muffet's; talking about favourite foods versus least favourite, to favourite side dishes and even desserts.

"I'm telling you, red velvet cake is way better than gourmet chocolate," You wagged your finger in front of Sans' face as Papyrus pulled you into the bakery, grinning wide at your comment, seeing as he agreed. "Gourmet chocolate is just too much chocolate, and far too heavy."

"There's never such a thing as too much chocolate, ya weirdo," He smirked as you lightly shoved him to the side, laughing. "And red velvet has nothing on raspberry chocolate cake."

"Aha! You had to change cakes to make an argument! Forfitted!" You cheered, pumping your arms up in the air in victory.

"As if."

"Ahuhuhu~! My, my, it seems you all are having fun." A sultry, if slightly high-pitched voice called from the other side of the counter; eight eyes squinted slightly in delight. "Might I ask what you two are doing here? And with a new, delicious looking friend to boot!"

"Hello Muffet, it is good to see you!" Papyrus exclaimed, ignoring the delicious comment as he walked to the counter and tugged you along with him; introducing you. "This is our... date-friend! Yes. We are currently on a date together, and thought to start it off right by having some of your delicious baked goods!"

Muffet giggled to herself, daintily holding her hand up to cover her mouth. "I see, I see! And Sans decided to tag along for the fun and possible free food?"

Sans chuckled, shrugging. "Ya caught me."

You snorted, smacking his shoulder lightly. "Wrong. He's on this date too. Though I'm sure he's most excited for the food." You shook your head as he grinned up at you.

Muffet seemed to pause, tilting her head. "Oh? You are all on a date together?" She perked up, holding her hands to the side of her face as she smiled wide. "Oh how adorable! It must be difficult having to share, no?"

Papyrus sighed, shooting a look over to Sans. "At times, my brother seems to attempt to gain more kisses than myself- but! He is not successful just yet. I keep a track record so it stays fair!" You flushed on your cheeks, tugging at the collar of your hoodie.

"Paps, really?"

"Oh yes! Currently, as of last night, we are both tied for 69 kisses each!" You sweat dropped, sighing. At least it was something to keep in mind.

"Do you have anything planned for when you reach 100~?" Muffet helpfully asks, grinning wide in delight. You were pretty sure she was enjoying this far too much.

"Oh I had not thought of that! But, no, I do not think so." He tapped his mandible in thought, humming. "Sans what do you think?"

"Food sounds good," He said, peering into the glass container for food. You laughed, peering in there with him. If you hadn't been told they were made with spiders, you never would have guessed. They looked like any other doughnut, but far prettier than anything you'd ever seen. Red, yellow, purple, green; orange, yellow, blue, light blue...

"These are really pretty Muffet," You smiled up at her, pointing to the orange one. "I'll take that one."

"Wonderful choice, dearie! Coming right up!" Muffet winked before her hands- multiple, eight hands- got to work; scooping up the treat and placing it in a baggy. "And for you two?"

"I'll take a purple," Sans mumbled, glancing over at you curiously. You tilted your head, confused. Did you make a bad choice?

"I shall have the red one! Oh, and some spider cider would be wonderful too!" Papyrus clapped, watching her get to work. Two of her lower hands reached behind her to a machine and flicked on a switch; bringing out three cups and filling them each with the cider before topping them off and setting everything on the counter.

"Wow," You blinked, slightly dazed at her fast paced work. "Must be pretty neat to have so many hands at once. I bet you get chores done really fast!"

Muffet giggled, propping her head up as she leaned onto the counter with her elbows. "Oh indeed, dearie. It's much better than having to hire someone who doesn't know what they're doing." She flipped her hands in a 'what can you do?' motion, smiling softly.

"Either way, I'd say it's pretty..." Sans winked, giving a shrug. "Handy."

You snorted, leaning down as you laughed; Papyrus looking ready to scream. "I knew that was going to happen! You and your ridiculous punning!"

Muffet laughed behind her hand, shaking her head softly. "Oh Sans, still the same as ever with your jokes. Oh, by the way, the total is $28.89."

Papyrus paid quickly before taking his food and sighed. "I certainly hope this is your one and only pun for today, brother."

Sans shrugged again, grin wide on his face. "We'll have to wait and see, bro. Sorry, I don't make the rules."

You tried to stifle your laughter, thanking Muffet as you took your food and sighed. "Come on you two, let's eat and skiddadle before you two start arguing about puns again."

Linking your arms together, you waved back to Muffet as you all went out the door and started walking down the sidewalk; listening as the two of them teased and lightly bickered.

Munching on your- surprisingly very delicious- doughnut, and sipping on your cider, you sighed in contentment as you walked. Your chest felt lighter as you ate and drank, raising an eyebrow at your treats before shrugging. You must've been pretty hungry or something.

"So where to now?" You licked your lips clean of the orange glaze, humming at the sweet taste. "Anything specific in your rule book?"

Papyrus hummed, thinking to himself for a moment. "I believe it said that in order to have a wonderful date, you were to take them somewhere that you enjoyed and felt comfortable in- that way you can drop any barriers and enjoy each others company!"

You looked over to Sans with a 'Is he serious?' look, and he simply chuckled; sipping his cider. "Sounds like a plan. Where do you feel most comfortable, pal?"

You looked around the area, humming a bit. "I don't really know. Usually I'm on the move, so I don't stay in one place too long. How about the park?" You smiled, leading them to the smaller park on the other side of the road. "It's always pretty looking this time of the year."

The three of you walked in silence as you crossed the slightly wet road and huddled close as a particularly cold wind pushed against you; safely making your way to a bench.

Sitting down, you sighed in contentment as your steaming spider cider blocked off some of the chill of the winding down winter season; taking another sip to ease the chill in your body.

A few people were walking out and about- a few giving you curious and odd looks that you simply smiled and waved at- and you watched as a few children laughed and ran past. A gentle smile eased itself on your features as you relaxed.

A hand squeezed your own, and you looked down to see Sans smiling up at you softly; a faint blue hue on his cheeks. "Thanks for this pal. It's nice to just hang out with ya."

You smiled brightly, squeezing his hand back. "No problem! I figured we could all use some alone time together, and-"

"Shorty?"

You blinked, looking around before spotting Chance across the park, waving at you with a wide grin on his features. You released Sans' hand to wave back- or, you would have, had he not kept his grip on it. You glanced at him before settling to wave your entwine hands.

Chance ran over, still smiling wide as he looked at Papyrus and Sans before settling back on you. "Great to see you again! These must be your friends, right? Papayas and Sands?"

You snorted, shaking your head. " _Papyrus_ and _Sans_ , Chance. And yes, this is them. Guys, this is Chance; my best friend!"

Sans reclined in his seat, giving him a simply wave. "Yo."

Papyrus, on the other hand, stood up tall with a wide smile and held out his hand. "Oh it is so wonderful to meet you! We have heard many great things about you, human Chance!" He swept up Chance's hand, shaking it enthusiastically.

Chance chuckled, letting his arm fall slightly limp and just let Papyrus sporadically shake his hand. "Nice to meet you; you must be Papyrus, then." He eyed his attire up and down and rose an eyebrow. "Er, uh, nice... fashion statement?"

Papyrus puffed up his chest proudly, placing his hands on his hip bones. "Why thank you, human Chance! It is my special date outfit-" He moved back to you, squatting low a bit to wrap his arm around your shoulders. "As we are all happily on a date at this very moment!"

Chance looked to you in surprise, and you flushed, scratching your cheek. "No kidding?" You nodded, smiling meekly.

"Yeah, pal. Just out and about on a _date_ together, enjoying nature."

Chance turned to Sans, blinking in surprise before giving a half smile. "Well. All right then; that's a nice surprise." He stuck out his hand for a hand shake, smiling pleasantly. "You must be Sans. Pleasure to meet you."

Sans had his eye sockets closed like he was asleep, but slowly stuck out his hand anyways; taking hold of Chance's hand firmly before a loud, wet fart sound came from it. You gawked at Sans while Chance pulled his hand away quickly as if burned, blinking in confusion.

"Heh," Sans chuckled, opening his left eye, and held up the palm of his hand to show a small whoopee-cushion attached. You and Papyrus groaned. "Whoopee-cushion in the hand trick. It's always funny."

Chance stood there for a moment before snorting and shaking his head, pocketing his hand. "You got me there. Nicely done. Shorty mention how much you liked jokes."

"Yep. I'm full of 'em." Sans grinned, pocketing his hands. Papyrus sighed, crossing his arms.

"Please do not corrupt our new friend as well with your childish punning, Sans." He chided, sending an apologetic look to Chance- who merely shrugged.

"Hey, I've got nothing against puns. They're pretty great."

You furrowed your eyebrows, frowning slightly. "Uh, Chance... you hate puns. What are you talking about?" They all turned to you, but you kept a suspicious stare on Chance's face.

"Whaaaat? Shorty, c'mon, I love puns!" He grinned, leaning forward a bit. "Wanna hear one Sans?"

"Lay it on me, kid."

Chance seemed a bit put off by the 'kid' nickname, but smiled wide anyways. "Here, this one seems appropriate. Why couldn't the skeleton share the bad news?"

Papyrus groaned, stalking off to the side, covering his head. "I do not want to hear this!"

You grinned wide, shrugging. "Why?" Chance met your grin and had to stifle a chuckle.

"He didn't have the heart."

You blinked and turned to Sans who had answered, giving a laugh. "You've heard that one before, huh?"

He winked over at you. "I've heard a ton of skeleton puns before, pal." He waited a few moments before shrugging. "A skele-ton."

Papyrus' howl of despair had nothing on your laughter.

Chance chuckled quietly to himself, shrugging. "That was pretty good, but how about this one?" Clearing his throat, he stood straight. "I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop anytime."

You barked out a laugh, covering your mouth as you tried to calm down; nearly spilling your cider. "Pffft! _Chance!_ "

"Heh, nice one kid." Sans smiled, staring at Chance with a look that could only be described as someone who was ready for a challenge. "However, I think you need to wait a second before you say the pun. Gives it oomph."

"Oh yeah?" Chance questioned, crossing his arms.

Sans nodded, putting his arms behind his head. "Yeah. I'm always on time with my jokes." A pause, before a wry grin came over his face. "I guess you could say I'm pretty pun-ctual."

A snort came up from you, having to hide your face as you gave out an ugly laugh; cheeks turning red. You could have sworn that you heard Papyrus give a laugh as well, though it was quickly stopped with a sigh of frustration.

Chance laughed, and nodded. "Well done, I can see what you mean. You got any jokes, Shorty?"

You took a breath to calm down, rubbing your sore cheeks from smiling too much. "Ah, there's one skeleton pun I know, but it's really bad."

Sans nudged you with his elbow, an eager look on his face. "Lay it on me."

You smiled shyly, rubbing the nape of your neck as you spoke. "Uh, what did the skull say to the bone protecting the spinal cord?" You waited a moment like Sans did, before speaking with a wide grin. "'I'll keep you safe, vertebae.'"

The laugh that came from both Sans and Papyrus was beautiful to you. They were both clutching their ribs as they laughed, their cheeks glowing in delight. You grinned wide and laughed with them, a fluttering feeling in your chest.

Chance's smile seemed a bit strained, but he just shook his head. "You're right, that was pretty bad. But in a good way!"

Sans sighed, shaking his head. "No way, that was a _bone_ -fide, grade A joke right there. Well done, pal."

Papyrus came over, nodding happily. "I must admit, though I do grow tired of Sans' ridiculous punning, it is nice to hear something new for a change." You had to hide your grin as he muttered. "I do not wish to hear any more jokes about trom-bones..."

Sans laughed, grinning wide. "Aw, c'mon Pap, you love it." He winked, "You're totally smiling."

"I am and I hate it!"

You laughed quietly to yourself as Chance glanced at his wrist watch. "Ah, shit. It was nice meeting you guys, but I've gotta get to work. Catch you this weekend, Shorty?"

You nodded, standing up and giving him a tight hug. "Heck yeah! It was great to see you again. We'll have to do something fun on the weekend, okay?"

He squeezed you tight before pulling away, grinning wide. "Oh definitely. Anyways; nice to meet you guys! Take care of Shorty for me, eh? They're a bit of a handful!" He joked, waving back as he ran to the street.

Sans huffed quietly as you sat back in your seat with a sigh. "You all right?" You asked, turning to him in surprise.

He shrugged lethargically, causing you to narrow your eyes. He chuckled, "Just tired. Don't worry about it pal."

"Oh. Do you want to go back home? We can have another date another time." Though you seemed fine with it, Papyrus looked a bit sad at your comment- though worried about his brother.

He flushed at your concern, waving his hand. "Nah, don't worry about me pal. I'm enjoying myself. Don't sweat it."

You hesitated before nodding. "All right. Don't be afraid to speak up if you're getting too tired and want to head home." You turned over to his brother, eyeing him up and down. "How about you, Paps? How are you feeling?"

"Fit as a fiddle! Do not worry about myself, human friend; I have enough energy for myself and Sans." He made a pose- hands on his hip bones and standing tall- grinning wide. You smiled, giving him a nod.

"All righty then. How about we head to an arcade or something? I want to beat you guys at a few video games!" Taking their hands, you led them to a nearby arcade, smiling as you all bantered and chatted happily.

You didn't notice a shadowed figure from behind the tree that you guys were sitting near slide away from sight, but a pair of dark, void like eyes most certainly did.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things seem to be going down slightly...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is a really short chapter. Like super short. So after I return from shopping today, I shall post a _SECOND_ chapter in one day for you all.  
>  Even though I really don't want to.  
> Not that you guys don't deserve it or anything! Just that... well...  
> You'll find out, I guess.  
> Enjoy!  
> \------

You cursed under your breath as you huffed and puffed; holding a whimpering monster child to your chest as you dashed around the corner. The HPP group had been silent for the winter holidays after their leader was taken into custody, and you had hoped that when their leader fell, they would have disbanded. Unfortunately, it appears they had not, and found a new leader to take over, and come back with a vengeance.

Trying to muffle your panting, you slipped into a nearby alleyway and hid behind a large dumpster; curling the child's body closer to yours as you kneeled down to the ground and waited. You stayed that way for a while, until your legs started burning from the strain, and the child ceased their whimpering.

Reaching down, you tapped your knuckles down twice on the ground in silent question; hiding the child's eyes as Gaster poked himself up from the shadows. Signing carefully with one hand was difficult, but eventually you signed out, _"Check for thugs, please?"_

He nodded, and the shadows around him gave him a taller form than where he was just poking his shoulders out from before; his body merely decreasing in opacity as he slid onto the sidewalk full of people. Nobody noticed him as they walked passed, as if he weren't really there.

It was a good few minutes before Gaster came back and slid down next to you, signing that the men that had been chasing you were looking around, and didn't know where you two were. You breathed out a sigh in relief, carefully peeking around the dumpster.

Apparently their new leader knew of your existence, and was vehemently trying to erase you from the earth so they could continue their transgressions against Monster kind.

Sucking in a silent breath of air, you flattened yourself against the wall as you heard stomping feet pass by the alleyway; tightening your hold on the child, who was shivering in fear. Giving a glance to Gaster, who nodded that it was okay, you hopped out of the alleyway and started walking in pace with the other people around you.

You looked down to the grey monster child in your arms, giving them a soft smile. "Hey bud, we're in the clear. Do you want me to drop you off somewhere safe?" They nodded, sniffling quietly as they wiped their eyes clean of tears. You sighed, petting it's large head gently. "Sorry about that. HPP is pretty nasty, huh?"

They nodded, their three clawed hands clinging to your hoodie; burying their face into your chest. You hummed softly, continuing to stroke their head. "Do you want me to bring you back to the arcade?"

They nodded again, hiccuping a bit. You looked around and started giving a light jog towards the arcade; soon dropping them off to their parents- getting many thank you's and hugs in return- before slipping away and heading back to your job.

You sighed, smiling to yourself as you pocketed your slightly chilled hands in your hoodie. It was still very cold- the area covered in a light dust of snow piles that hadn't fully melted away just yet- and you were slightly freezing from the lack of gloves. You made a quick note to buy some before stepping into the warehouse and giving a wave to your boss, Timothy Wyrn.

He looked up and came out of his office to give you a stern, but concerned, look. "I saw you jog right out of here from the window. Something going on, kid?"

"HPP again," You huffed, still slightly on edge from adrenaline. It was all he needed for an answer before he sighed and shook his head; motioning you in to his office. Grabbing a cup from the water cooler and filling it up with a bit of coffee, he handed it to you. You nodded in thanks, not really a fan of the bitter liquid, but didn't mention it as you held it in your hands.

Wyrn sat down on his chair and folded his hands together; leaning his nose on top of them as he stared down at you in silence. "...You're going to get yourself killed one of these days, kid. I'm sure you're doing a fine job and all, but just be careful, all right?"

You smiled softly, and nodded; taking a gulp of the burning liquid to warm up your body, and grimaced at the taste. "Y-yeah. Thanks boss. I'll be fine, though; I've got eyes all around me." You hid a grin as you watched your shadow wriggle around at your joke, and stifled a snicker.

Wyrn raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it, and waved you away. "All right, kid; back to work."

Saluting, you finished your drink with a wrinkled nose before dropping the cup into the trash, and headed out to the floor. Danny, your superior, was on the floor and grinned when he spotted you; jogging over to flag you down. "Saw ya rushing right on out of here in a flash. You go save some monsters again?"

You shrugged, waving away his comment with your hand before reaching down to pick up two small boxes and carried them to the platforms. "I guess." He grunted, placing his medium sized box on the platform next to yours before pouting.

"Aw, c'mon, who'd ya save this time? Surely they're looking for you to give ya a nice big reward!"

You wrinkled your nose in distaste as you scowled, walking away to grab a larger box. "I don't do it for the reward, Danny."

Grunting, you lifted with your legs to pick up the large- and excruciatingly heavy- box; Danny coming over a second later to pick up two more small boxes at your feet. "No reward? Then what the heck's the point of risking your neck every time you go out there."

Gritting your teeth, you slowly made your way over to the platform and lowered the box on to it slowly; letting it go with a sigh of relief. Stretching, and wincing when your elbow smashed into the box, you stalked over and leaned in close to Danny's face. "I do it so I don't have dead monster's on my conscious, Danny." You snarled, pushing a finger into his chest. "I do it to save them, and protect them, from assholes who are just afraid of what they don't understand. I don't give a rats ass about money. They don't deserve to be treated like shit, got it?"

Danny backed away and held up his hands in a placating manner- as well as he could with boxes in his hands- grinning awkwardly as sweat dripped from his forehead. "Wh-whoa, hang on there champ. No need for the defense, it's all good. I apologize; you do your thing, and I'll respect it."

You rolled your eyes before turning away and stalking over to the rest of your boxes; waiting impatiently for the day to be over.

Gaster wriggled in your shadow, wishing you were at home already too.

 

* * *

 

"See you tomorrow," You called out to your boss with a wave before stepping out into the cold; surprised to see Sans waiting outside for you. You smiled brightly and walked over, giving him a tight hug. "Sans, what the heck are you doing here?"

He shrugged, seemingly nonchalant, but it was negated by the flush on his cheek bones. "Just wanted to pick you up from work and see if you wanted some Grillby's before heading home."

"Sounds great; I'm starved!" You took his hand before making your way down the road towards Grillby's. The two of you enjoyed the companiable silence; swinging your intertwined hands slightly between you two.

You blinked as you looked down to see your shadow wiggling violently, and stopped walking to tap your toe to the ground- after making sure the three of you were alone. "Gaster? What's up?"

Instead of forming into a body from the ground, his shadows swept over the ground making shapes- signs, you realized after a moment.

"'Beware, alleyway ahead,'" Sans translated, looking up to glare at the closest alleyway- which was only about twenty or so feet ahead of you. "Thanks G'. C'mon pal, let's take a shortcut." Sans tugged you to the street, leading you to the other side safely after checking for cars.

You gave a sigh of relief, squeezing Sans' hand in thanks. "Thank you for the warning Gaster." Your shadow wriggled again, before settling down. You assumed he said you're welcome, and smiled.

After a little while longer- Sans constantly checking with Gaster to know what alleyways were safe to pass by- you finally made it to Grillby's. You rolled your shoulders with a sigh as you took your seats at the bar; shrugging off your jacking. "Burgers and fries as usual, Grillbz," You grinned to the fire monster, tapping twice on the counter.

He nodded, moving back behind the counter and into the "fire escape", leaving you two at the bar. Sans shifted to where he was comfortable on the bar stool, huffing and grabbing a bottle of ketchup that Grillby usually leaves for him; taking a swig.

"You okay over there, Sans?" You asked, leaning your head on your hand; propping it up with the bar. He gave a long sigh, shrugging after a moment.

"Just seems like wherever you go, you're five seconds from being attacked." He thumbed the label on the ketchup bottle, eye sockets narrowing. "I hate it. It makes me nervous for you."

You reached over and gently laid your hand on his arm, giving it a light squeeze. He set down his ketchup bottle, laying his hand on yours. "I'm all right, Sans. I've got you three," You glanced at your feet, smiling softly, "to keep me safe. And I'm pretty fast on my own."

He nodded with a chuckle, patting your hand. "Yeah ya are. Did you have any trouble today?"

You nodded, sitting up a bit to drum your fingers on the counter. Grillby came back with your food, sliding it in front of you- along with a glass of hot cinnamon cider for you- before taking his usual post of cleaning a shot glass a little ways away.

"Yeah," You whispered, leaning your head a little lower so no one else would hear. "Gaster warned me I was being followed while on my lunch break, but there was also another group bothering a monster child while at the arcade. I had to grab the kid and hightail it around the block and into an empty alleyway before sneaking back." You sighed, shaking your head. "I'm glad he's here to watch out for me. That could have ended really badly."

He gave a stiff nod, his phalanges looking like they wanted to clench angrily into a fist, but restrained themselves; instead taking up to glaring at the alcohol behind the counter. "I'm glad too. I don't want to see you getting hurt anymore."

You smiled softly, a small flush rising on to your cheeks, and squeezed his hand again. "Hey, with you, Pap', and... G," You paused before chuckling, "I doubt I ever will again. Undyne and Alphys too- they wouldn't let a single hair on my head be hurt. I'll be fine; if anything ever does happen, G will let you know, or if he can, get me to safety."

Sans sighed, nodding easier with a strained smile. "I know, pal. I just can't stand the thought of you being hurt- or anything bad happening to you in general." He looked over at you, cheek bones flushed blue. "You mean a lot to me. Pap's, Undyne, and Alphys too."

You grinned, leaning down to kiss his cheek bone before leaning back and snickering at his droopy looking eyes and the slight steam rising from his skull. You turned to your food, happily digging in.

"I'm glad to hear that. You guys mean... a lot to me too." You shrugged slightly, a similar flush rising on to your own cheeks as you gulped down a bit of your cider. Sans chuckled, nudging your arm after you set your glass down.

"We love ya pal. Ain't no bones about it." You laughed with him, jumping in your seat as an all too familiar voice called out your name. Turning- along with more than half the bar attendees- you saw Chance grinning and walking over to you; hugging you around your shoulders.

"Heyya, Shorty! Didn't think I'd find you in a place like this!" You were stunned in silence as he pulled back with a wide, wry grin; turning over to Sans with a surprised glance. "And Sands! Pleasure to meet you again, buddy!"

"It's _Sans_ , kid."

Sans looked aggravated, twitching his phalanges ever so slightly as if he was restraining himself from doing... something. You cleared your throat awkwardly before giving Chance a weak smile. "Hey Chance, h-how'd you find me here?"

His grin turned sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, I actually didn't know you were here. A few buddies of mind from our club told me about this sweet monster bar, and I wanted to check it out. Nice digs!" He praised over to Grillby, who simply inclined his head; never once pausing his simple cleaning strokes from the shot glass.

"So, where's Papyrus?" Chance questioned, taking a seat by you. You glanced over worriedly at Sans- who was becoming more agitated by the second- before turning to Chance.

"Ah, home, I think. Sans just picked me up from work for a bite to eat before heading home." You watched as Chance 'sneakily' slid up his hand to your plate of food and joking swiped at his hand as he snatched a fry from your plate. "Paws off, dork."

He happily munched on your fry, humming in delight. "Tastes great. I think I'll have to come back here more often. My buds were definitely right on this place being great."

"That's pretty odd," Sans began, leaning back in his seat. "Considering I've only ever seen two humans ever come in here." He slid an eye light over in Chance's direction, the anger in it raising a red flag in your head. "And I know both of 'em, pal."

"Oh, no," Chance waved his hands in front of him, laughing slightly. "No, no, I'm sorry. They aren't human's- they're monsters. Really cool ones too. A tree monster- that's Jake- a freaky red and purple toned monster- Lillian- and a smaller fire monster- Heats."

Sans rose an eyebone. "You know Heats?"

Chance barked a laugh, causing others to look over. He quieted down, giving them an apologetic smile before turning back to Sans. "Hell yeah I do. That guy's amazing. He's got a great attitude for everything."

You picked at your food, unable to understand what had Sans so on edge near Chance, and thought to ask him about it at home. It wasn't that you weren't a little uncomfortable; Chance had taken up to leaning in close to you and brushing up against you that made you feel a bit uncomfortable.

You were in front of one of your... partners? Boyfriends?- for chrissake!

You knew Chance knew you went out on a date the last time you saw each other, and you knew he'd never really... do anything with you- as much as you had probably hoped as a child- but you couldn't stop the queasy feeling in your stomach whenever he leaned close to talk or laugh.

You shrugged the feeling off as much as you could, laughing with him and playfully shoving him away- if to gain a little space. It didn't seem to work well considering he leaned back towards you and wrapped his arm around your shoulders and brought you a bit closer for a hug.

"Sad to say I've gotta dip; the other boys back at the club are waiting for me." He gave you a small peck on your temple, squeezing your shoulders one last time before standing up and waved to Grillby. "I'll have some of my boys drop by sometime to get some food from here. It's pretty hot!" He winked over at Grillby, who merely paused in his cleaning, before resuming.

You get the feeling that Grillby wasn't one for people making those kinds of comments when they didn't know him well...

Chance chuckled awkwardly before nodding. "Ah yeah, fair reaction. That was pretty awful. Anyways; I'm out. See ya Shorty!" He patted your shoulder before waving to Sans and walking out of the bar.

You sighed, glad that the weird queasy feeling in your gut faded; shooting a look to Sans. "What was that about?"

"I don't know. I don't think he was telling the truth about Heats either," He muttered, still glaring at the door.

You glared at him, putting a hand to your face. "No you...! The way you acted, Sans. You were extremely aggravated for no reason! And it was like you were..." You fumbled, making odd hand motions. "I don't know; trying to fish for something. What's gotten into you?"

He looked surprise at your questioning, turning to his meal with a grimace. "...Pal, I don't want you to get mad, but I don't really trust that guy."

You blinked before sending him a flat look. "No shit, Sherlock. Why though? He hasn't done anything to you. Or anyone!"

Sans angrily stuffed his mouth with a few fries, looking like he was ignoring your questions. You turned and looked at your plate of food; waiting for an answer.

When none came, you sent him another look. "Papyrus likes him just fine."

He snorted, a half glare towards the alcohol again. "Papyrus likes everybody."

"And you don't?"

Sans sighed, setting down his ketchup bottle before turning to you. "Listen, pal, I'm not trying to offend ya. I just get a bad feeling from him, and I want to know his intentions with ya. He was all over ya just now!"

You narrowed our eyes at him, keeping your voice low. "Is that what this is about? You being jealous? Sans-"

"I'm not jealous, _pal_." Sans interjected, giving you a serious look. It made you shiver slightly, leaning back a bit from the intensity. "I'm not. He's bad news. I'm sorry; I just can't trust him."

You waited for a moment before slowly nodding. "Okay."

He paused, jerking his own head back. "Uh... run that by me again?"

You sighed, turning away and put a hand to your aching forehead. "I said okay, Sans. You don't have to be friends with him if you don't want to. I wouldn't push you like that." He had the decency to at least look ashamed; probably having thought that you would, in fact, try to push him.

"Ah... thanks, pal."

"That doesn't mean I'm going to stop being friends with him just because you two won't get along," You continued, sending him a scathing look. He shriveled slightly in his seat, nodding. "And the same goes for Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys. He's my best friend Sans, and it would mean the world to me if you could just try to get along, but I know I can't force you. So just... be cool, okay?"

He sent you another nod, and a weak smile. "Well, I'll try. Being cool is Papyrus' job, naturally, so I probably won't do as hot."

Sighing, you gave a nod and patted his shoulder. "Just do your best, Sans. Please? For me?"

"Yeah pal, I'll try." He flushed, looking away. "No need to beg, or nothin'."

You chuckled, moving your hand down to squeeze his. After getting a reassuring squeeze back, you couldn't help but let yourself feel a bit disappointed and confused.

Why didn't Sans trust Chance? And what made Chance 'bad news'?

You couldn't help but feel worry grow in the pit of your stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys ever feel like doing fanart (which would absolutely make me cry, so be prepared for tears), you're more than welcome to! Feel free to send it over to:
> 
> KagedBird - Tumblr  
> Kagster301 - DeviantART


	19. Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get to hang out with your best friend, but later have an argument with Sans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what I was referring to when I said chapters would get a little crazy for a bit. =w="
> 
> This is chapter 19, and everything else will shift up one. Oy vey.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it! <3

The rest of the week, you began to notice, had a similar pattern to the last two days.

Ever since seeing Chance in the store that fateful day, you had been bumping into each other throughout the week. Out and about getting groceries with Papyrus while Sans was at work? There was Chance in the pasta aisle, quickly saying hello and chatting you up.

Out getting a spider doughnut from Muffet's? He'd come in, talk to Muffet and you for a bit- if being a little bit of a flirt towards Muffet- and grab a bite to eat with you.

Just getting off work? He was walking by and offered to walk you home.

Out on a run from HPP members? He'd join you, asking if you were all right, why you were running, and if he needed to kick anyone's ass. In fact, if he was ever nearby when HPP were attacking, they'd flee faster than you had ever seen, as if afraid. All he had to do there was tell them to buzz of, crack his knuckles and look a little threatening, and they were well on their way with their tails between their legs.

 _"Anything to protect my little Shorty,"_ He had commented, ruffling your hair up with a grin.

It was getting weird with how often you... 'bumped' into each other.

You sighed softly as you sipped your morning tea, running a hand through your disheveled hair. Of course, all of the 'bumping into' led Sans to be more... clingy than normal.

Oh sure, he acted better around Chance, but if the two were ever around you and or in the same room, you could bet twenty bucks that there would be some kind of atmosphere going on between the two. He didn't leave your side, became more affectionate- striking up sudden conversations of something 'cute' you and Papyrus did, giving you kisses, hand holding- like he was trying to stake a claim.

Chance didn't do anything more than raise an eyebrow each time and grin, before moving topics- if there was one. Other times he'd just stare; an odd, glazed look in his eyes.

You wondered if he thought about the past often too. And what he remembered.

Standing up from your seat, you placed your now empty cup in the sink and stretched with a pleased sigh. At least today- finally being Saturday- you could maybe hang out without the awkward atmosphere, since you would be hanging out alone.

Heading upstairs, you grabbed a few clothes before heading to the bathroom and taking a quick shower; dressing in your usual outfit of a large tank top, hoodie, and sweats. Considering the last time you and your boys went out on a date, you think it was for the best to not wear jeans; especially not when Papyrus called it your 'special date outfit'.

Didn't need to send any mixed signals after all. You had no interest in Chance, other than the interest of reconnecting an old friendship. And you were happy with Sans and Papyrus; you most certainly would never leave them.

You shook your head, adjusting your hoodie as a knock sounded on the front door. "Coming!" You shouted, mussing up your hair a bit before walking out of the bathroom, only to see Papyrus and Sans already at the door. Your stomach felt tangled in knots.

You quickly dashed downstairs, hearing Papyrus laugh happily. "Ah yes, I am certain they will enjoy that. Please do take care of our friend, human Chance- oh! Hello friend!"

You waved awkwardly to Chance as Papyrus turned and swept you up in a tight hug; smothering your burning red cheeks with kisses. "I hope you have a wonderful time out with your human friend Chance, dear friend! Please do try to stay out of trouble." He sent you a look that had you chuckling and nodding.

"Yes mother," You snarked, kissing his teeth lightly before wiggling out of his hold; giving Sans a small peck of his own, and whispered, "Don't even try to follow us. Please."

You leaned back, sending him a similar look to what Papyrus just gave you. He nodded, though started sweating on his skull slightly. "Yeah, yeah. Go on and have fun, pal. We'll be here when ya get back."

You waved goodbye as you and Chance walked down the stairs and down the sidewalk, sighing in relief. Chance grinned over at you, "You okay over there, Shorty?"

Smiling meekly, you nodded. "Yeah, sorry. Just... ah it's nothing." You waved it off, not wanting him to worry about it.

"Heh heh, all right," He wrapped his arm around your shoulder, bringing you close. "So, how about I take you to the arcade and kick your ass a bit at DDR before we go to my place and chillax?"

Looking at him with excitement, you grinned wide. "You're on!"

 

* * *

 

You snorted as Chance nearly choked on his drink from laughing, coughing and beating his chest to help himself breathe.

After tying almost three times in a row at DDR- he had really fast feet!- you both went to his place for some food and settle down a bit; just shooting the shit about the past and the present.

Currently, after telling him the embarrassing window story, he was shaking his head and sighed. "I guess you don't remember the time you made a dirt pie and ate it; getting terribly sick the next day."

You groaned, shoving him lightly. "Oh god; don't remind me! I blocked out that memory for a reason!" You laughed loudly, covering your face. "It still haunts me to this day! I can't even look at a brown pie anymore!"

He gasped dramatically, putting a hand to his chest. "So you're racist against pies?! How could you- and to think you know a person!"

You laughed harder, leaning back and falling against the arm rest of the couch; pushing him with your sock covered feet. "Yeah, totally pie racist. I can't help it man; they got shifty eyes."

You both snorted and tried in vain to cover it up; soon sighing in contentment and relaxing a bit. You sipped some of your water to cool down while Chance took a swig of his beer; looking over at your arm with narrowed eyes.

"Where the hell'd you get that?"

Looking down at your outstretched arm, you saw your scars being slightly revealed as your hoodie sleeves slid back a bit; quickly pushing it down with an awkward laugh. "A-ah, it's nothing _Chancey_. Just a couple scars."

"Bullshit," He set down his beer, scooting over and plucked up your arm; pushing back your sleeve to see the other scars. He sucked in a breath, shakily trailing a hand over each one. "Jesus..."

You lowered your head slightly, feeling a bit ashamed. Why would you hide them from _him?_ You knew he wouldn't say jack shit about your scars. He would probably even-

"Who the fuck did this to you? I'll kill them."

Do that.

Placing a hand on his, you gently tugged your arm away and pulled back down the sleeve. "Don't worry about it Chance; I'm fine. They're all really old; I haven't gotten any new ones since last year."

His sharp look had you shutting up in seconds, flinching away a bit as you lowered you head further.

"Shorty, this is a big deal. If it's those HPP fuckers, you know damn well I can find them and kick their asses for you."

"Please don't, it's okay." You begged, looking back up to him pleadingly. "I don't want to have anyone hurt. And if it's going to be someone, I'd rather it be me anyways. I can always get back up."

He stared at you long and hard, for what felt like an hour- when in reality, for only a few minutes- before closing his eyes with an aggravated sigh. "Whatever you say, Shorty. But if it happens again, I will have to break someone's arm."

You lean over and give him a reassuring hug, smiling brightly. "It won't; I promise. I've got Sans, and Papyrus, and Undyne and Alphys, and now you!" You snickered, "It's like I've got an army. HPP ain't jack-shit against us."

Chance chuckled softly, petting your head as his eyes glazed over in thought. You simply leaned against him more to get comfortable, sighing as he pulled you close and wrapped his arm around your back.

"God, I can't tell you how much I've missed you," Chance whispered, laying his forehead on your head. You hugged him tighter in response, probably able to guess.

It was moments like these that made you wonder why Sans was truly so concerned with Chance being bad news. He hadn't changed since you last saw him; expressive, not afraid to speak his mind, and nothing but sweet to you.

"I've been here like I always have," You spoke, rubbing your cheek against his chest. "Where were you? Why didn't you come home?"

"I did, Shorty," He pulled back, looking you in the eyes. "I really did. I even went back to our families; they had no idea where you were. And I didn't have a way to contact you. I was taken in by the club- guys I'd met in jail- and they took care of me. They even helped me to search for you."

You sighed, burying your face into his chest again. He smelt weird- probably the beer?- slightly ashy or like an old, dusty house. It was mostly covered by his new smoke scent, and usual smell of trees, though, so you didn't give it much thought.

"They kicked me out as soon as I got home," You told him, feeling comforted by his warm, strong arms wrapping around you. "Said I was a good for nothing and didn't belong in their home. Your parents too."

"God, I'm so sorry Shorty," He breathed, burying his face in your hair; giving your skull a light kiss. "I should never have left; we should have run away or something. I should never have left you alone for so long."

You flushed slightly, patting his chest. "Hey, it's all right Chance. We're both better now; got jobs, better families, getting three or more meals a day," You grinned at him, pulling away slightly. "I think it was for the best."

He stared for a moment before chuckling and shaking his head. "You sure do look at things positively, don't you?"

You puffed your chest out like Papyrus did, feeling proud. "Why yes I do! Thank you for noticing!"

He laughed, patting your head softly before stretching a bit. "Why don't I walk you home? I'm sure your... friends are worried about you."

He gave you a curious look that you couldn't help but flush at; nodding slightly. "Mm, yeah. Did you want to stay for dinner or...?"

He waved, gently moving you to the side to stand and stretch. "Nah, I'm good. Think I'll hit up the bar with a few of my pals." He offered you his hand and pulled you up to your feet and into a hug. "Tell those nerds of yours to keep you safe, a'ight? I can't have anything happen to my best friend, now can I?"

You grinned, giving him a tight hug in response; laughing as he grunted in surprise. "You got it, dork. C'mon, I'll tell you about some stories on the way home."

You laughed as you retold him your first date night with the girls and your boys; laughing until tears came out of your eyes when Chance told his own stories about his club members.

Taking a deep breath, you grinned with warm cheeks up at Chance, stopping in front of your door. "Don't be a stranger, _Chancey;_ come on over any time. Papyrus would love to have you over for dinner sometime- and the girls really want to meet you." You perked up slightly, clenching your hands into fists. "Oh yeah! We'll be having another Date Night soon! Why don't you come over then? Next weekend!"

He hummed, rubbing the nape of his neck as he thought. "You sure I won't be a bother, shorty?" At your excited nod, he held up his hands in a placating gesture. "All right, all right; I guess I'll go. Dork."

You lightly whapped him on the chest; causing him to dramatically gasp and hold where you hit him. "Oh! The light! I see the light!"

"Friend? Human Chance? Is that you out there?" Papyrus voice called out before the door opened behind you, Papyrus poking his head out with a wide smile. "I thought I heard you two talking! Finishing up your play-date I see?"

You grinned, running up the steps as Papyrus opened the door fully and tackled him into a hug. "Yeah; just finishing up!" You looked back over your shoulder with a wave of your hand. "See you next weekend, you drama queen!"

Chance smiled wide and playfully waved you off before starting to walk away. "Yeah, yeah, whatever dork. See ya next weekend!"

You waved enthusiastically with Papyrus as he walked away; unable to see his dark and twisted grin as he turned his head away; head filled with future plans.

 

* * *

 

You sighed happily, walking in the house after Papyrus with a content smile on your face. "You cooking up some spaghetti, Pap's?"

He nodded, heading back to the kitchen quickly. "Yes I am! I hope you are hungry, for I have made a lot!" You rubbed your slightly grumbling belly with a wry smile.

"I could eat a horse, to be honest."

"Sounds like a load of hay to me," Sans quipped from his seat on the couch, smirking at you with a sideways glance. You laughed loudly as Papyrus snorted in the kitchen; making your way over to Sans.

Plopping yourself on the couch, you pulled him over for a hug; sighing softly as you relaxed next to him. He seemed to relax too; wrapping his arms around your waist and leaned in close to the impromptu snuggle.

"Ya have fun?" He drawled out. You snorted, knowing he was really asking if you were okay. But it was sweet that he was trying.

"Mhm. We talked a lot; retelling embarrassing stories, some personal things. And we beat the shit out of each other in DDR." You grinned, shaking your head. "I'm so going to beat him next time. He's got really fast feet!"

"Uh huh," He smiled a bit, and it was obvious that he didn't care to hear about Chance, so you sighed and kissed his head.

"Thank you for not following us," You gave him a few more kisses on his skull; letting him know how much you appreciated his trust. "It was nice for us to just hang out and reconnect without any jealous partners on my ass."

"Hey," He flushed bright blue, giving you a look. You laughed, leaning back a bit. "I told you, I'm not jealous."

"I know Sans. It just seems that way, because I don't know why you don't trust him." You gave him a look that asked him to explain, but he just shrugged and looked past you as Papyrus brought over some spaghetti.

Papyrus frowned a bit, having caught the tail end of the conversation. "What? Sans, are you jealous of the human Chance? I don't understand why you would be..."

Sans groaned, taking his plate of spaghetti and grumpily stuffing his face. "Not. Jealous."

You patted his arm slightly, giving a shrug to Papyrus as you took your own plate; scooting over so Papyrus could sit. "He says he thinks Chance is bad news. Do you feel like that, Paps?"

"Well," He wrung his hands together, frowning more. "No? I do not believe I have been around enough to gage his character to see if he is indeed 'bad news'. I will just have to talk to him more!" He nodded his head firmly with a smile.

You smiled softly back at him. "Well, we'll all have a chance- heh, no pun intended," Sans grunted, obviously not feeling that pun at all, "to gage him this next weekend, when the girls are over for Date Night."

Sans sat up, looking at you in shock. "You invited him over for Date Night? _Really?"_

You frowned, not liking his attitude. "Yes, _Sans_ , I did. Alphys and Undyne want to meet him, and if you're going to continue to act like this, I want to at least see what it is that is making you act this way. He hasn't been any different the whole time I've seen him!"

Sans scoffed, setting down his plate on the coffee table. "So you're saying it's normal for him to stalk you?"

You jerked your head back in surprise, sputtering in indignation. "Wh-what? Stalking?! Sans, what proof do you-!"

"This whole past week has been nothing of 'accidental bumping into'- and don't even try to say you hadn't noticed," He held up his finger to your face accusingly- though not incorrect- and you narrowed your eyes. "He's stalkin' ya, pal. And he's been acting all creepy. If this is normal for you, I'd advise you to get a new best friend."

"Brother!" Papyrus squawked in surprise, sitting up straight as you outright glared at Sans. "You apologize right this instant! Our friend has done nothing but accept that you do not like their best friend and has tried to make things easier on you! Be more respectful and keep your harsh comments to yourself."

Sans snapped his jaw tightly shut, giving you- who was taking deep breaths to keep yourself calm and not start crying (you weren't going to cry over something this ridiculous, damn it!)- a stare before turning away and mumbling an apology.

You shook your head, unable to understand, as you took your plate and headed upstairs to your room to eat alone.

"Sans, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Papyrus chided from behind you on the couch, frowning disappointingly at his brother. Sans flinched as you closed your door and from the reprimand from his brother; Gaster's warning to keep his cool floating in his head.

"Yeah. Sorry. That was uncool." He acknowledged, nodding a bit. Papyrus merely sighed and took up his own plate of spaghetti after turning on the TV, giving a sharp glance to Sans.

"You had better apologize _nicely_ to our friend later when things have calm down." His eye sockets drooped sadly as he reached out and patted his brother on the shoulder. "Know that I trust your judgement Sans. You have always been great at that- judging. But not everyone else can see what you do, and it is best to keep certain things to yourself until it shows."

Sans stared at his brother in disbelief, blinking in surprise. "Wait- really? You believe me?"

Papyrus chuckled, shaking his head softly. "When have I not trusted you, Sans? You are my brother, and I know you are more than usually right over things such as this." A brief look of understanding flashed between the brothers before Papyrus continued. "I do wish for you to take it easier on the human Chance, though. He has not done anything yet, and if you do something now, it will hurt our Date-Friend more than it would him."

Sans nodded, staring at his plate of spaghetti on the table. "Yeah. You're right Paps'." He grinned, looking over at Papyrus. "I'm lucky to have such a cool brother."

Papyrus puffed out his chest proudly, grinning wide with a small 'Nyeh heh heh!'. "Correct you are, brother! Now, eat up! There is plenty of pasta to eat."

Scooping up his plate again, Sans sighed before eating slowly. Maybe he could afford to tone it down a bit. He just didn't know what the cue for when it would all go downhill would be.

What he didn't know is that it had already begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys want to make fanart, feel free! (They make me cry ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) so be prepared for tears.)
> 
> Send them to:  
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301
> 
> Also!  
> Feel free to go to my Tumblr for fanfic updates- under the tag "Fanfiction Update". It'll make it a lot easier for me and you guys to know what's up, since I can't just post an author's note on here.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything falls apart rather fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that one chapter where I said it was my least favourite?  
> I lied.  
> This is absolutely my least favourite chapter because for the life of me, I kept avoiding it for a week because it would not come out the way I wanted it to. So I apologize deeply for how poor it turned out.  
> Ahh, I'm still learning though, despite having written stories like this for years. All things come in due time- so maybe one day I'll come back to this and spruce it up how I want it.  
> So, without further adieu-  
> Enjoy some angst! <3  
> WARNING: Angst, long chapter, everything falls to shit pretty fast.  
> \------

It was the weekend! You excitedly got up from bed after a wonderful night's rest, quickly gathering your clothes and taking a shower; making sure to keep it quick as you knew Undyne and Alphys would be over around the noon time- and you weren't sure when Chance would be over.  
  
Skipping out happily, you headed to the kitchen, surprised to see a drowsy but awake Sans at the dinner table. "Sans, what are you doing up so early?" You questioned, hugging him from behind. His form stiffened before relaxing immediately; snuggling against you. You hummed when he didn't answer, kissing his head softly and continued to hold him.  
  
"Rough night?" You asked, running your fingers over his skull. He shivered slightly, but nodded, his face in a tight grimace. You frowned, kissing his face again before pulling away. "Well, then, what would you like for breakfast? I'll make whatever you want!"  
  
You grinned happily at your shorter skeleton and were pleased as he smiled softly. "I heard waffles were pretty tasty..."  
  
Saluting, you got to work immediately; grabbing the random waffle maker that Papyrus bought at one point ("It looks so neat!" he had said), and grabbed the ingredients for the waffles. "Would you like anything inside them? Blueberries, chocolate chips?"  
  
He hummed, laying his head on the table. "Blueberries."  
  
Easily dropping them into the batter, you filled the waffle maker before closing it and waiting for it to cook. Papyrus shambled in the kitchen, yawning as he walked over and gave Sans a hug before walking over and hugging you. You smiled softly. It was a rare instance that Papyrus would be too tired to act energetic, and while it was slightly worrying, you knew he was just waking up. He didn't usually didn't sleep long anyways- so you figured the two brothers must have been helping each other out with their nightmares.  
  
You learned that Sans had heavy, _heavy_  nightmares that really stunted his ability to sleep at night. You never talked to him about it, figuring it was personal, but you couldn't help but want to console him whenever he had the issue. He did help you with the Gaster nightmares after all.  
  
As for Papyrus, you knew he didn't really have the same kind of nightmares as Sans- he barely had any nightmares at all in comparison to his brother- and _always_ consoled him, no matter how long it took. It was really sweet to see them build each other up whenever the other fell. You were happy that they didn't fight like a lot of family members you knew of- you could tell it would be pure awful if they ever got mad at each other and had a fight.  
  
You hugged Papyrus tightly as he held you, grinning up at him. "Hey there! I'm making some waffles for breakfast. You want any?" He nodded, rubbing his face into your hair, causing you to snort. "Go on and sit down, I'll have 'em done in a minute." He nodded before walking over to the table across from Sans; smiling tiredly.  
  
You slid out Sans' waffles onto a plate, grabbing syrup, butter, and ketchup from the fridge; laying them all on the table before grabbing some milk and cups and placing those on the table as well. "What kind of waffles would you like Pap'?"  
  
The morning went smoothly as breakfast was eaten and everyone woke up at their own pace; you taking care of getting the living room ready, as Sans laid on the couch, and Papyrus went out for groceries. You covered the floor in blankets and surrounded them with a few pillows- knowing the girls were going to want to stay over, like usual. You wondered if Chance would want to stay over, and thought about giving him your bed when there was a knock on the door.  
  
"Coming!" You called out, hurrying over. You smiled widely as Alphys and Undyne waved, eagerly letting them in. "Alright, so where's this new human at? I wanna greet him the best way I know- a strong handshake!" You grinned weakly, feeling bad for Chance's hand. You knew from experience when Undyne meant a 'strong handshake', it was really a 'your hand is going to be broken from this one source of contact, please for the love of everything, don't take her hand'.  
  
You were still recovering.  
  
Alphys laughed weakly before shaking her head. "A-ah, I brought a few anime I think you'll like- does Chance watch any?"  
  
You shrugged. "I'm not sure. We didn't have TV as kids- who knows what he was able to watch in jail? Or prison, for that matter."  
  
Alphys nodded, seeming nervous as Undyne squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Ahh, don't worry about it Alphy'. He doesn't have to like them; means there's more for us at home!" You smiled at Undyne's version of comforting her girlfriend, happy the two of them were together. They really blended with each other- always building each other up and supporting one another. It was sweet.  
  
Letting them take over the living room space, you headed to the kitchen to start getting everything ready- knowing with Undyne's patience- or lack thereof- and Alphys' ability to be swayed by her lover, they'll want to start watching movies soon. But with Papyrus out and about, they might be a little bit more reluctant to start without him.  
  
You grabbed a few drinks before heading back to the living room, cracking a grin as Undyne tossed a pillow in Sans' face to stop him from talking- no doubt it being something naughty from the way Alphys was growing redder and redder by the second. "Whoa there, Undyne. Be careful with that." You spoke, pretending to be serious with her actions. "Don't you know that pillows are only meant for pillow wars?"  
  
Undyne blinked, looking over at you in surprise- Alphys too- though Sans only had a wide grin. You fought down yours as you stared at the girls. "Pillow wars? The hell is that? I want in on it!" She grinned, jumping up to her feet. You hummed, setting down the drinks to the side of the makeshift bed and grabbed a pillow from the ground.  
  
"I'm not sure you do," You pretended to fluff the pillow, biding your time. "They can get pretty intense." It only served to fire her up more as she grabbed the pillow from Sans and held it above her head.  
  
"Tell me about the Pillow Wars!"  
  
You shrugged, "You can only start a Pillow War by declaring a Pillow Match with someone. But," You paused, stopping her from her declaration. "It has to be done properly." She nodded, dead serious as the glint in her eye never faded. You stifled your snickers in your throat, clearing it quietly. "I'll show you."  
  
Suddenly pulling forward, you slammed the pillow into Undyne's body, before running away to the kitchen, laughing all the while. She dropped her jaw before tearing after you, pillow in her hands. "Oh you're _on,_ human!" You squeaked as she cornered you, easily "beating" you with the pillow- being sure to be gentle, though it definitely wasn't soft- and you yelped.  
  
"I-I need back up! Sans! Help!" You laughed as you tried to defend yourself, somehow sliding away in time to go back to the living room and take cover behind the couch; grinning wide.  
  
Sans didn't move from his laying position as he grabbed a nearby pillow and held it up weakly. "Not sure there's a lot we can do, Captain," He spoke, grinning wide. You gave a fake gasp, happily playing along.  
  
"Oh no! Are our defenses down?"  
  
He nodded "solemnly", sitting up in front of you. "I'll do my best to protect you."  
  
Alphys chuckled softly, easily putting two and two together to understand you two were joking. She grabbed a pillow beside her and held it close to her- for protection or to be ready to "fight", you weren't sure. Undyne stampeded into the room, eye glinting as she charged; jumping into the air with her pillow at the ready. " _COMING IN FROM DOWNTOWN-!"_  
  
In a flash you were moved from behind the couch to beside Alphys, eyes slightly dizzy from the movement. _'When did I move?'_ You thought, shaking your head as you came back to your senses. Sans was sitting beside you, pillow on his head. He didn't seem to mind it.  
  
"Incoming," He warned, lifting up your pillow to your face as Undyne slammed into the couch- sending coins and stuffing everywhere as it broke in half from her force. You were suddenly glad you weren't behind the couch anymore. Your heart felt a little tight as everything calmed down- and you swallowed at the destruction.  
  
"What the fuck just happened?!" Was called from the doorway as you all turned to see Papyrus and Chance at the door- Papyrus chiding Undyne on breaking their couch (again, apparently)- and Chance just staring in slight horror. You chuckled, rubbing the back of your head. Probably wasn't the best first impression.  
  
"Hey Chance! Glad you could make it." You waved from behind your pillow- which Sans had yet to remove from you; his hand holding it there. Alphys sighed, adjusting her glasses.  
  
"S-sorry about th-the couch, Sans. A-again." He chuckled, finally letting the pillow down to wave her off.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Easily repairable."  
  
_'I highly doubt that,'_ You thought to yourself, staring at a spring that had landed by your feet with untold amounts of stuffing on the floor. You were only thankful there weren't any splinters of wood anywhere- that would have been a bit too dangerous for you and Chance. Splinters were no joke.  
  
Standing up, you carefully walked over and hugged Papyrus before taking the food bags from his arms and heading into the kitchen- Papyrus in tow, with Chance slowly joining after. You set the bags on the counter before pulling the food out and putting it away; making sure to leave the popcorn and candy out for when watching the anime Alphys had brought.  
  
Papyrus happily hummed as he worked beside you, grabbing out a pot for pasta and filling it up with water, while Chance leaned against the counter. "She, uh, do that... often?" You blinked, shrugging.  
  
"Oh, Undyne? Quite surprisingly, she has managed to reduce her number of broken couches this year to about five times less than last year!" Papyrus smiled wide, obviously proud of his friend.  
  
You shook your head with a smile, chuckling. "Sorry to have caused her to do that, then. I challenged her to a Pillow War." Chance snorted as Papyrus looked at you in confusion.  
  
"Don't you mean 'pillow _fight_ ', Shorty?" You grinned, grabbing a box of pasta noodles and setting them aside.  
  
"Nope! Pillow Wars are between multiple people- teams. Pillow fights are free for all."  
  
He rolled his eyes playfully. "Oh, man, my mistake; however will you forgive me?" You laughed as he dramatically sighed and batted his eyelids.  
  
Papyrus smiled wide. "You must be a wonderful actor, human Chance! That was wonderful- you looked just like Mettaton for a moment there!"  
  
"Who's Mettaton?" Chance rose an eyebrow, theatrics gone. You snorted as Papyrus gasped in shock, quickly pulling Chance over to the living room. "Alphys! Undyne! The human Chance does not know about Mettaton!" You laughed as the girls and Papyrus quickly sat Chance down on the makeshift floor bed and turned on the TV to one of Mettaton's shows; quickly filling him in.  
  
"Oh, that flashy bucket of bolts?" Chance scoffed, shaking his head. "I've heard of him." Undyne had to hold Alphys' shoulder to keep her calm, the dino-lizard surprisingly turning very cold- while Papyrus' jaw dropped in shock.  
  
"Excuse you, but Mettaton is _not_ a bucket of bolts. I built him myself, thank you."  
  
You blinked, walking over to the kitchen entrance. "Really Alphys? You never told me that! That's so cool!" She quickly turned a 180 at the praise; flushing and poking her claws together as Undyne grinned and pounded her chest.  
  
"Hell yeah, she did! My Alphy is the best! She was the tech genius in the Underground. Hell, she's the smartest monster I know!"  
  
Alphys was near a complete puddle from the compliments, mumbling 'thank you's' and hiding her face. You smiled softly, happy to have quelled the possible frosty situation before going back to the kitchen; stirring the noodles in the pot. Papyrus came walking in not long after, giving you a hug from the side. It wasn't like his usual hugs though- it was like the one from this morning.  
  
You frowned, looking up at his slightly troubled face, and held onto his ulna. "What's wrong, Pap'? Something up?" You carefully laid the spoon you were using down on a napkin before turning and giving him a tight hug around his waist; rubbing your cheek into his armor plating.  
  
"I am... unsure that the human Chance likes us very much, friend."  
  
You hummed, looking up at him. "What makes you say that, Pap'? It sounds like they're all having fun talking in there right now." You both walked over to the kitchen entrance, peeking around the corner to see Chance talking with Undyne and Alphys; Sans watching whatever was on the TV, and giving his two cents every so often. It seemed calm to you.  
  
Papyrus sighed, looking down before heading back into the kitchen- and you followed quickly after. "Then perhaps it is just... me?"  
  
You shook your head, frowning. "He doesn't dislike you, Pap'! No way. I told him that it had been your idea to join us for dinner last weekend, and he said you were a swell guy!" You grinned wide, taking his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Just give it time, okay? It'll be fine!"  
  
He smiled, nodding his head. "You're right. I should just give it more time! Perhaps there is something we could bond over... oh!" He pulled you into a tight hug. "Thank you for the advice, friend! I know just what to do!" You chuckled, patting his back before he zoomed out of the kitchen; leaving you to shake your head.  
  
"What's your hurry, bro?" Sans called out, seeing his brother running upstairs.  
  
Papyrus didn't stop as he called back, "The human Chance and I shall bond with you all over some fun puzzles!"  
  
Undyne grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "Hey, yeah! Great idea, Papyrus! We can race to see who can finish the puzzles faster- we can be on teams!"  
  
You walked out of the kitchen, smiling softly. "Three teams of two, or two teams of three?" Papyrus huffed as he ran down the stairs with various board games and toys; setting them down in the middle of the makeshift bed. Alphys hummed, looking at the games.  
  
"S-some of th-them are f-free for a-all's, s-so I s-suppose we'll just decide wh-when w-we get to a-a puzzle th-that are team orientated."  
  
You nodded before gathering plates and filling them up with spaghetti- making sure only Sans' had hot dogs on them this time- and walked them over two at a time; quickly handing everyone a plate before sitting down in between Sans- who finally left the couch- and Chance.  
  
"Alright, I wanna play this 'Monopoly' game first!" Undyne cried out, moving all the other games aside. You shook your head as everyone grabbed their preferred piece- Undyne as the horse (with the rider), Alphys as the Top Hat, Chance as the Battleship; Papyrus as the Scottish Terrier, yourself as the Thimble, and Sans as the Cat. After having the rules explained by Alphys, everyone rolled their dice to see who would go in what order. Undyne cheered as she was to go first, followed by Chance, you, Alphys, Papyrus, and then Sans. Undyne rolled the dice and moved up twelve spaces, immediately buying the electric company for 150$.  
  
Chance rolled his dice and scowled as he rolled snake eyes, moving up to the community chest and took a card. "Take 25$. Sweet." You, being the banker, took a quick glance at the card before shelling out the fake 25$. He grinned as he passed you the dice; you shaking them in your hands before rolling out an eight. Moving your piece, you landed on Vermont Avenue; taking it for a hundred.  
  
Alphys took the dice and rolled, grinning wide as she got two sixes like Undyne- though pouted when she realized she had to pay four times the amount of the twelve she had rolled. Undyne gave her a kiss on the cheek as consolation, much to the pleasure of the small dino-lizard.  
  
Papyrus took the dice with excitement, happily rolling a six, buying up Oriental Avenue. You pouted slightly- that meant you would have to haggle for that later if you wanted the rest of the blues. Sans lazily took up the dice and threw them; gathering a three and moved his piece to Baltic Avenue- buying it up for 60$.  
  
It seemed peaceful enough, everyone joking here and there- stealing spots and trading some others- but after a while, it seemed more and more apparent that there was some negative energy flowing. Sans rolled his dice and moved his piece up five spaces- landing on Ventnor Avenue, the spot that Chance owned, and scowled as he handed over the fake money. Chance smirked cheekily, "Tough break, man."  
  
Sans got his revenge shortly after- when Chance had to pay Undyne loads of money for landing on her Utility spot; shelling out 120$ with a frown. Sans chuckled, leaning against your shoulder. "Tough break, man." Chance bitterly glared at him, and you tried to calm the situation as you cheerfully declared it to be your turn, and stole the dice.  
  
You stretched in your spot with a sigh, waiting for Alphys and Papyrus to finish up haggling. Chance was counting the remainder of his low funds, Sans was leaning his back against your side, and Undyne was looking over Alphys' shoulder to help speed up the haggling process. You reached over to the candy pile and took out a sour gummy, humming at the flavour.  
  
"Any day now, ladies," Chance called out, looking rather bored. Undyne huffed in response,  
  
"Keep your pants on; we're working on it." You could tell Undyne wasn't enjoying the game that much anymore- having been bankrupt a while back- and you could tell she was getting a bit aggravated at Chance. You idly played with Sans' hand while you waited.  
  
Chance sighed before looking over at you, "Hey, Shorty; could you get me a drink? One of those fruit juices you got?" You nodded, moving to stand up when Sans' hand suddenly tightened around yours; keeping you grounded.  
  
"Sans?" You questioned, frowning slightly.  
  
He didn't open his eyes as he called out, "I didn't think your legs were broken, pal. When did that happen?"  
  
Chance narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what Sans was getting at. "My legs are fine."  
  
Sans hummed, his tone mocking. "Wow. Surprised me. If that's the case, you can get your juice yourself. Right?" You shook your head, unsure where this sudden anger was coming from.  
  
"Sans, it's perfectly fine. Really, I can get it."  
  
Tugging your hand free,  you moved away to the kitchen; quickly grabbing a random juice bottle before rushing back to the living room. Sans was scowling heavily at Chance- who was mirroring his expression nearly exactly- while Undyne, Alphys, and Papyrus were staring at the two of them.  
  
"What the hell's your problem?" Chance asked, crossing his arms.  
  
Sans shrugged. "I don't like people who are manipulative to my friends, _pal_. You've been like this since you rekindled your friendship with my friend here. I don't quite appreciate it."  
  
You walked over quickly, handing Chance his juice before taking Sans' hand and hauled him to his feet. "We'll be right back." You murmured, leading Sans up to your room and shut the door quietly; glaring slightly at your shorter skeleton. "What the _hell_ was that about, Sans?"  
  
He winced, shoving his hands into his pockets as he shrugged. "I don't like the way he's treating you. Like your his servant or whatever." You sighed, running a hand through your hair.  
  
"Sans, please, I'm not his servant- I'm his _friend_. Sure, he's a little bit pushy, but it's not like I don't know how to say no."  
  
"Are you sure?" He questioned, raising an eyebone. You reared your head back, furrowing your eyebrows. "You've been defending him the whole time- even with his shady act." You gritted your teeth, shaking your head.  
  
"What's so shady about him? Why can't you just try to get along? I just want us all to be friends!"  
  
"He's shady because he keeps trying to get in between us!" Sans shouted, clamming you up instantly. You stared at Sans with wide eyes as he huffed, glaring angrily at you. You bit your lip, looking away sadly.  
  
"Sans... are you worried that he's going to take me away from you and Pap'?" He snorted, crossing his arms as his cheekbones flushed slightly.  
  
You took it as his answer when he didn't reply; kneeling down and hugging him close as you kissed his skull. "Sans, that's not going to happen. I'm sorry if I haven't made it more obvious that we're... that you, your brother, and I are in a relationship." You flushed, laying your warm cheek against his cold skull. "I'll try to be more blatantly obvious from now on, alright?"  
  
He sighed, pushing you back slightly. "That's not what this is about, though. He's doing something- I don't know what, but he is." You frowned, taking a slight step back. "Well, why don't we go ask him about it?" You stepped around Sans as you opened the door, moving down to the living room to find only Chance in the living room with a bruise on his cheek.  
  
"Oh my god!" You cried out, rushing over to him. You cradled his head tenderly as he winced, frowning heavily. "What happened?!" He gave a weak smile, looking away in embarrassment.  
  
"Ah, I got, uh... a bit carried away with the others." He grimaced, "Long story short, I made a comment about Alphys that got me punched in the face by Undyne. Papyrus offered to walk them home after we all apologized."  
  
You tutted softly, moving away to head to the kitchen. "Let me get the first aid kit." Sans glared at Chance as he watched you leave, a smirk soon replacing his grimace. "So, _Sands_. How's life, huh?" Sans glared deeper, causing Chance to chuckle. "Aw, that bad huh? Can't say I'm sorry, though. Your own fault you exploded in front of Shorty."  
  
Sans sneered, curling his hands into tight fists. "Let's get one thing straight," His pupils fell back from his eye sockets, leaving only darkness that seemed to peer into Chance's soul. "You better back the fuck up, if you know what's good for you."  
  
Chance scoffed, stretching on the floor bed. "Or what? You'll hurt me? Please; with Shorty how they always are, you can't touch me. I'm invincible."  
  
Sans snarled, his left eye glowing bright iridescent blue and yellow, as he shot his hand forward- lifting Chance in the air with his power. Chance cried out in surprise, "A-Ah! Wh-what are you doing?!" Sans sneered as you ran back into the room, first aid kit in hand, and you gaped at the scene.  
  
"Oh my-! Sans, you put him down right now!"  
  
You rushed over, grabbing Sans' arm, and shivered as he stared at you with his glowing eye- momentarily fearing for Chance's life- before he snorted and dropped Chance on the ground. You rushed over to Chance, making sure he was alright before rounding on Sans with a furious glare. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"  
  
Sans was about to reply when you waved your hand, cutting him off. " _Don't_ start with that "he's up to something" crap, alright? I've had enough of it!" You took a breath, kneeling down to Chance again to help bandage his cheek. "I get that you guys aren't getting along, and I'm sorry that I've been pushing you, but really? Hurting him is _not_ going to fix anything."  
  
Chance groaned softly beneath you, and you sighed. "Maybe we should just... take a break. Alright?"  
  
Sans looked slightly broken as he stared at you, reaching forward. "N-no, wait a minute here-!" You shook your head firmly, frowning at the ground.  
  
"Just... just for the weekend. We obviously need to calm down, and-!"  
  
Sans snapped, stomping his foot on to the ground; his voice becoming distorted and gravelly. " **I will not let him take you away!** " You flinched away from him, Chance pulling you close as he stood up from the ground. His gaze was wary, quickly pulling you away from Sans, who was growing increasingly agitated.  
  
"Buddy, just chill out. You're scaring Shorty."  
  
Sans snorted, taking a step forward every time Chance pulled you away. You were shaking in Chance's hold, terrified by the sudden turn that was taking place. "Sans, please, calm down." Sans groaned slightly, holding his blazing eye that seemed to grow ever brighter; shaking his head slowly. You bit your lip, wishing you could call on Gaster to help- but you had a gut feeling that with Chance there, he wouldn't be able to show himself.  
  
"Buddy, let's just... take a step back, and-!" Sans roared in anger, thrusting his arm forward, and captured Chance in his power's grasp; flinging him towards the door that opened suddenly from the outside, causing Chance to land harshly on the ground.  
  
You gasped, rushing out after him. "Holy shit! Chance, are you alright?" He groaned in pain as you gingerly lifted him up, stiffening as Sans stumbled to the door. You stood in front of Chance protectively, glaring at him with tears in your eyes as Papyrus looked on in horror and confusion. "Just stay away from him!"  
  
Sans weakly leaned on against Papyrus, who cradled him gently; still covering his eye. " **D-don't...** " You shook your head, pulling Chance to his feet. You glared harshly at Sans, gritting your teeth.  
  
"Leave us alone. We're going. And don't you dare follow after me! I don't want to see your face again!" You pulled Chance after you as you rushed away from the house, away from the brother's shared broken look- never noticing the glint in Chance's eye...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you ever want to create fanart for whatever reason, feel free!  
> Send it to my stuff-
> 
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay, WOW OKAY  
> \- You all by the end of this. ;3c

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNINGWARNING-
> 
> Got your attention?  
> Good.
> 
> LOOK UP AT THE TAGS. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE REREAD THE NEW TAGS.
> 
> This chapter is the start of something rather intense that I'm afraid might not be comfortable for a few people.  
> Just wanted to make sure that everyone knew what they were getting into before the details come up later. This chapter honestly isn't too bad, but there's still a VIOLENCE warning. I'll let you know when the intense chapter comes, so don't worry about it :D
> 
> (Honestly, I don't know the protocol for "Graphic Depictions of Violence" so I put it up there in case. Be cause of torture.  
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ )
> 
> Okay, phew. Glad that's out of the way.  
> (Long notes are long, sorry)
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH for enjoying my story. Holy fuck. You people are crazy. Hahaha! <3 I love you guys, seriously. Your adorable comments and sweet words always make my day. Love, love, love all of you.  
> Okay- enough mushy stuff.  
> On to the Angst! <3  
> \---------

It was a day after the "fight", and you were with Chance in his apartment. You weren't usually much of a crier, preferring to stew in anger and resentment before flooding yourself with guilt- but you couldn't stop the tears if you tried; clinging on to Chance while you two stayed on the couch.  
  
"C'mon Shorty. It'll be okay." He cooed softly, rubbing your back. You sniffled, rubbing your running nose and huffed.  
  
"I just can't believe he'd blow up on you like that. I'm so sorry..." He shook his head, ruffling your hair a bit.  
  
"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm just a little banged up, but I'll be fine." He paused for a moment, rubbing his chin. "How about we go out? My treat."  
  
You shook your head, wanting nothing more than to be under some covers and ignore the world for a while, but Chance was having none of that as he grasped your chin and pulled your head up to look at him. "Hey, come on. It's not going to do you any good by letting what happened get to you like this. We'll go have some fun on our own, and forget all about what happened yesterday."  
  
You sighed, before nodding softly. Chance was right; it wouldn't do you any good to just sit here, crying over it. You stood up with a weak smile and headed to the bathroom. "Got any spare clothes? I don't think sweats and a hoodie will do me good if we go anywhere."  
  
Chance chuckled and nodded, heading to his bathroom and grabbing you some nice spare clothes- thankfully long sleeves and slacks. Heading to the bathroom, you took a short shower and dried off; quickly putting on the rather nice outfit and grabbed your own clothes; walking out of the bathroom and placing them on the couch.  
  
Chance looked at you and whistled, grinning wide with two thumbs up. "Nice! Lookin' good, Shorty!" You flushed slightly, scratching the back of your head and nodded.  
  
"Thanks." He stood from the couch and stretched before heading to the bathroom and took his own shower; leaving you to your thoughts.  
  
Sighing, you sat back on the couch and tapped your fingers on it; thinking back to what Sans had been talking about. Frowning, you picked at the loose strings on the couch. _'He was always talking about how Chance rubbed him the wrong way, but...'_ You blinked, noticing your faint shadow wriggling in agitation. Biting your lip, you looked back to the bathroom door before tapping your foot twice on the floor.  
  
Gaster popped out of the floor, only about torso length, and frowned sadly at you. You looked away, unable to keep his gaze, but looked back as he started to sign. _"Friend, please, return home. Papyrus and Sans are greatly worried for you."_   You shook your head, quickly signing back.  
  
_"I can't. Not after what Sans did to Chance. I asked him to try to be nice- and he went and injured him instead!"_ You sighed softly, hearing the shower stop running, and signed faster. _"Please, just tell them I'll be alright. Once everything has calmed down in a few days, I'll stop by to see how they're doing. Now go before Chance sees you."_ He shook his head slowly, gently patting your knee before vanishing from in front of you- just in time as Chance opened the door to reveal his newly cleaned and dressed form.  
  
"Ready? I know of a place around here. Best food I've tasted in a long time. You'll love it!" You smiled weakly at him, and nodded; following Chance out the door after taking one last look back into his house. You hoped you weren't making a mistake.

* * *

  
You boredly played around with a small piece of bread as you and Chance sat at a small table for two at the restaurant that you had been at before with the whole gang. You stared at the piece of bread as you twirled it around on your plate- mind thinking back to the waiter Undyne had pelted with the small, crumbly grain- obviously not intending to eat it any time soon.  
  
Chance cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to grasp your attention, but only received a small glance before your eyes fell back down to your bread. "You, uh, not a fan of the bread?" He tried to joke, and you shrugged; not really feeling up for jokes at the moment.  
  
"Is this a date?" You asked suddenly, looking up from your bread.  
  
Chance flushed, taking a sip of his wine before replying, "Would it be bad if it was?"  
  
You paused before shrugging. "I mean... I think I'm technically dating right now, so I don't think I'm supposed to go on dates with other people."  
  
"You're dating?" Chance choked out, trying to keep quiet so no other patrons could hear. You nodded, still idly playing around with your piece of bread.  
  
"I think so. We never really gave it a label, but if the frequent kissing and date nights we had with the girls are any indication-"  
  
"You're dating that _skeleton?!_ " Chance hissed, suddenly looking horrified and furious. You furrowed your eyebrows before shaking your head.  
  
"No, I'm dating both skeletons. It's why we haven't put a label on it." You hummed, dropping your bread on your plate. "I guess we don't really need a label."  
  
Chance leaned back, rubbing his face- and you could tell he was heavily aggravated. You rose an eyebrow, crossing your arms and leaning back. "What's so wrong with me dating them? They're good monsters. They take care of me."  
  
"Monsters are _nothing_ but evil, shorty," He hissed out again, sliding you a glare that had nearly more effect on you than his words. "They hurt me, didn't they? Went against your wishes to be friends with me? What kind of 'good monsters' would do that?" You frowned, looking down at your small hot plate, and thought.  
  
You were sure Sans was just aggravated about not being able to spend much time together, and never really meant to hurt Chance. You felt heavily guilty for yelling at him- unable to get the look of horror and tinge of betrayal from your mind. It flooded you with amounts of anguish that you made yourself stew in- even if he had been crossing a line. He was just worried for you- had been for weeks. Was this the obstacle Gaster and he had been talking about?  
  
You chewed you bottom lip as Chance took another sip of his wine. "They're not good for you, Shorty. S'why I've got a proposition for you." He grinned wide, looking suddenly eager. You pursed your lips, wondering what got him so hyped.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"How would you," He paused for dramatic effect, before reaching into his coat pocket and pulled out a key; sliding it over to you. "Like to live with me?" You stared, too dumbfounded to reply. Live with Chance? But you had a home already- with the brother's!  
  
_'Yeah, that might as well be good and gone,'_ You thought to yourself glumly. _'"I don't want to see your face again"; famous last words.'_ You sighed, shaking your head slowly. "I-I'm sorry, Chance, this is really much too soon."  
  
He gripped the key tightly before resting it on the table in front of you, his smile tight. "No, no, I understand. You're still hung over those skeletons. I get it." You frowned at the tone he was using, finding it to be very mocking sounding.  
  
"H-hey, calm down. I just had to deal with telling someone I'm dating that I never want to see his face again, and-!"  
  
"What more of a reason to come live with me?" He quickly rebutted, giving you a deeper frown. You shivered lightly, feeling there was something hidden behind it that you were missing. "Look, Shorty, you don't have to stay with them. Just... come live with me. Be with me. I can make you love life, and you'll never have to fight the Humanitarian Peace Preserve again."  
  
You wrinkled your nose, feeling dread pool in your stomach. "Who told you about HPP?" You narrowed your eyes, suddenly very worried. Chance sighed, running a hand through his hair. "The taller skeleton. Papayas, or whatever. Told me your horrible scars were from fighting them. With me, you won't have to do that."  
  
You growled, gritting your teeth. "'Horrible scars'? They're mine and they're beautiful, thank you. I'd appreciate it if you didn't call my scars- that are a part of me, by the way- _horrible_ or any variation of the word." You sneered, "And his name is _Papyrus_."  
  
Chance shook his head, tapping his fingers on the table. "Stop, we're getting way off topic."  
  
"What the hell is the topic supposed to be?" You asked, your voice slightly raised in volume. You noticed people were starting to stare and glared at them; mentally telling them to mind their own business. "The fact that you hate my friends- my _family-_ or the fact that you can't stand the thought of me being near monsters in general?"  
  
Chance sneered, gripping the cloth of the table and hissed. "The _topic_ is supposed to be about you coming to live with me." He growled, grabbing his glass of wine and swirled it around; glaring into the contents. "Monsters are nothing but scum. They lie, they cheat, they scam; and worst of all, they're a plague on this earth." He huffed, tapping his fingers again. "Never should have let you continue to associate with them in the first place. I knew they were trouble. Especially those skeletons. They all should'a died out long ago," He sneered, drinking his wine in large gulps.  
  
It felt like you couldn't breathe. Sans had been right. Chance _was_ an asshole to monsters. "...Why did you pretend to like them?" You breathlessly questioned, staring incredulously at him. He scoffed, giving you a dry look.  
  
"So you would like me. Duh." He leaned forward, smirking wide. "I knew I could get you away from them just by letting myself be. That short skeleton was on to me, but I knew you'd pick me over him."  
  
You glared heavily at him, though it didn't look like you surprised him any. "How _dare_ you?" You whisper shouted, nearly not giving a rat's ass if the other patrons heard. "Those monsters are my _friends_. You have absolutely no right to talk about them like that." Your hands gripped your slacks with unbridled anger that you so wished you could lash out on him. "They saved my life, Chance," You scowled, grabbing your jacket from the back of your chair.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Chance glared back, the ferocity surprising you. Where did your beloved childhood friend go?  
  
"Back home. To my boys."  
  
Chance reach out to you, trying to grab your wrist, but you were having none of it as you quickly grabbed your undrunk wine and splashed it in his face; setting the glass down on the table before storming out; not caring that the other people in the restaurant were staring. Chance sighed, wiping his face clean before drawing out his phone and making a call.  
  
"Yeah. Shorty's headed outside. No. Doesn't feel like joining the club." He paused before smirking dangerously. "Shorty needs to be punished. Don't be afraid to get a little rough, alright?" Snapping the phone closed, he smiled at the waiter who brought him his food before digging in; ignoring the piping hot meal that was placed at your seat, and the untouched key.

* * *

  
  
"Let go of me!" You cried out, wiggling against the hold on your arms. Two buff men were waiting for you- HPP, no doubt- and easily captured you in your rush to get home. They laughed at your pitiful attempts to be released and one slung you over his back before they both started walking- not before placing a gag over your loud mouth and binding you tight.  
  
You huffed and wiggled around, making sure to dig your shoes hard into the man's back that was carrying you- crying out in pain when he slammed you up against a wall. "Quit your squirming, kid. We've got a schedule to keep." You glared at them past the few tears that weld up in your eyes; scratching and clawing at them as best you could with your bound hands.  
  
They glared at you, and constantly hurt you back to the point you thought you were going to pass out; but managed to think of dropping your shoe in your last attempt of injuring the asshole before doing so. It was a while before you woke, the new room blearily coming into focus when suddenly a fist shot out of nowhere and socked you in the gut.  
  
You heaved, making out a loud choking noise as you doubled over; coughing and desperately gasping for air. Your hair was pulled back, hauling you up into a sitting position again as you faced the smirking form of Chance.  
  
"Ch-Chance..." You croaked out, glaring. "Wh...what are you...?"  
  
He chuckled, walking over before kneeling down and grasping your chin in mock tenderness. "Oh Shorty, didn't you hear that HPP got a new boss?" Your eyes widened and he smiled widely, patting your cheek. "Ah, so you finally figured it out."  
  
"Y-you...?" You wheezed, your mind racing. It made so much sense. Why he was never comfortable around monsters. Why he tried to steal you away from your family. Your _family_ \- you glared furiously at him and he simply laughed it off as if you were a wet kitten.  
  
Pinching your cheek harshly he grinned wide. "I heard some _rat_ was causing a ruckus and came to find out that it was you all along. I figured you'd still have feelings for me, or something at least, and pretended to reach out to rekindle our 'friendship'." He pulled his hand away from your cheek with a sneer; standing up before bringing up his foot and slammed it down on your leg.  
  
You cried out, feeling your tibia crack and nearly splinter under the strength of his heel. Your screams echoed in the room as your tears fell with soft splats on the floor. Chance cooed softly, placing his hands on his hips. "Aw, did that hurt? Sorry, not sorry. You've been a thorn in my side since I joined this group, Shorty." He glanced at your shoe-less foot before scowling, and bent down beside it.  
  
"Oh, I see. You 'lost' your shoe outside somewhere, didn't you? Trying to help your friends find you?" Before you could react, he pulled harshly on your toe; effectively pulling it out of the socket with a large 'pop!' and your screams bounced off the walls again, sounding less and less humane.  
  
Chance looked up at the muscle behind you, motioning his head to the door. "Go find it. We can't have any traces leading to here. If you see anyone around it, just tell them your kid dropped it. Go." The muscle man nodded before walking out; nervously glancing at you before closing the door behind him.  
  
Chance grinned, cupping your cheek again. "Let's enjoy our alone time, okay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you wanna do fanart, feel free! Send it to:
> 
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus start to have a bad time. But then start having a great time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man you guys... are really, ah, sadistic. Heh. ^^" Chance has gotten so many death threats. Jeez.  
> Nobody is dying in this, sorry to say.  
> And, so everyone can see it (since you're all so friggin eager), Gaster cannot physically help out. He's incorporeal. Erased from time- he's lucky Reader can see him. And that Sans remembers him. So... yeah. But don't worry! He helps out!  
> Also- Papyrus will not be anything more than his usual soft self. You guys really wanted him to snap xD It's really interesting.
> 
> But, without further adieu- here is your next anticipated chapter! <3 Enjoy! (I know I did...<3)
> 
> EDITED: Much longer, and now with my idea that didn't make it into the first cut! Hehehe~! <3  
> ________

From some unknown place with an unknown name, a silhouetted man punched a few numbers into his phone before bringing it up to his ear.

The call rang and rang before picking up, and answered with a,  _ “Yea, boss?” _

The male smirked wide, almost ferally so; his sharp canines glinting in the light as he peered through the one way mirror. “Set it ablaze the first sign of trouble. It’ll keep those monsters at bay.”

Clicking the phone closed, Chance leaned his head onto his hand, and watched you from afar as you were slapped and beaten around by his lackeys like a petulant child. It filled him with joy to see you so utterly  _ broken _ and  _ helpless _ \- just like you were when you were a child.

Standing up from his front row seats of the show, he waved his hands to the guards at the door before rolling up his sleeves and walking in. It was time for more fun to be had.

 

* * *

Sans paced around the living room anxiously, grinding his teeth together in worry. It had been only a few minutes since he’d calmed down from his anger and you had left before he had taken up the nervous walk, and he hadn’t stopped since.

Papyrus shot him a look from his seat at the table, unable to stand his brother’s pacing for much longer. "Sans, please, I know you're worried, but you must calm down."

Sans groaned, lying on the couch’s remains and hid his eyes; not even caring as the wood poked uncomfortably against his bones. "I'm an ass. I drove them away, Pap'. They'll never come back here again, and it's my fault." Papyrus would've rolled his eyes if he had any, quickly walking over to his brother and picking him up.

"I did not know you were one for theatrics, brother, but you must stop this immediately." He huffed, gently setting Sans on the makeshift bed of pillows and blankets before sitting next to him.

"I do not know what happened to have our friend leave so suddenly- and you do not have to tell me," He stopped his brother, giving him a stern but supporting look. "But I do know that they will return, and when they do, we can all apologize together and do some cooking like we always do. It will be fine, Sans."

"But it won't!" He ground out, throwing his arms in the air. "You heard 'em, Pap'- they said they never wanted to see me again. I've never seen them so upset. The look of anger and betrayal on their face..."

Papyrus pulled his brother into a hug, frowning sadly. "I am sorry to hear that, Sans. But you must know that our friend- our wonderful, kind friend- probably would love to take that back if they could. Sometimes words tumble out of our mouths faster than we can catch them, and we don't mean it."

_ 'Leave it to Papyrus to think of everything positively,' _  Sans thought to himself, clinging to his brother. It took a few moments to gather himself and he nodded before pulling away. "Y-yeah, you're right. It'll... it'll be fine." Papyrus smiled wide, pleased with his response, and Sans could only return a shaky one. "I, uh, still got a bad feeling, though. Like... really bad."

Papyrus furrowed his eyebones in thought, humming. "Are you feeling unwell, or does this have to do with our friend?"

Sans shook his head, hand over his sternum. He couldn’t feel the faintness of your soul like he normally would. His skill of seeing souls wasn’t exactly as great as Toriel’s, but he was confident enough that he would be able to sense yours, no matter how far you were in the city. Not being able to… was worrisome.   
  
"Definitely with them. Do you know the address of that guy's house?" Papyrus hummed, standing quickly and going up the stairs; Sans following behind him.

"I do not. I don't think our friend- or the human Chance- has ever mentioned it before. But I am sure it is somewhere in our friend's room!"

Sans had to hold his breath as he stared at your room; feeling odd being in here without you. He remembered all the times he had been in here- to take care of you, help you sleep, joke with you; hell, even just listening to you breathe while you slept.

Alright, that last one sounded a bit creepy, but as a skeleton without lungs, he thought it didn't sound too bad...

Papyrus huffed, rubbing the back of his skull as he looked around. "Where do you suppose information like that would be, Sans?" He shrugged, walking over to your cluttered desk and looked around the papers; swiping through a few pages of books before turning to the next one.

"Oh! Is this it?" Papyrus called from the small trashcan that was by your bed, hurriedly grabbing out a small piece of crumpled paper and uncrumpled it slowly. Looking at it, he grinned before showing Sans. "Look! I think I found it!" Sans took the small paper and nodded. Written on it was Chance's Address... with the number and street name with it- and a crudely drawn heart, Sans noted with a snort.

"Good job bro. Let's go take a visit, shall we?" Sans grinned a little before tapping his foot on the ground and walking out with Papyrus in tow; noticing the shadows melting together and following them both with ease.

He was going to bring you back, even if he had to beg.

 

* * *

  
  


Sans paused, looking around the apartment windows with Papyrus and growled. You weren't there- or you were asleep. It was too dark to really tell, and with Papyrus around, he couldn't teleport in there. With a small thought, he tapped his foot on the ground before trying the door. "Locked," He ground out before turning away and looking around the empty street.

Papyrus followed after, frowning. "Perhaps we shall wait until morning?" The aching feeling in Sans' bones tightened and he shook his head.

"No. That feeling is stronger. We need to find them- fast." Papyrus sighed, before nodding, looking around the street for clues.

Sans took that moment to look behind him at the door; Gaster's shadow was hovering right on it, giving puppeteer shadow signs on the door to talk to him. 'Nobody's home,' He gathered, nodding stiffly. As Papyrus turned back around, Gaster's shadow faded from sight, leaving the door. "Are you alright Sans?"

Sans rubbed his face, sighing tiredly. "I'd usually tell you yes, but honestly, I'm just... really worried. Sixth sense is tingling and whatnot, ya know?" Papyrus nodded, even though Sans knew he didn't really understand. One of the things he loved about his brother- he didn't question certain aspects that he brought up, and just went along with it.

"Hmm..." Papyrus hummed, looking at the door again before looking at the wall. "Oh? What's that?" He walked closer to it, leaning in as he saw blood marks on it; gasping in surprise. "Sans! There's blood here!" Sans hurried over, wiping at the small flecks with his phalanges and glared heavily when he noticed it was still very wet. Couldn't have been more than an hour or two at least when whatever happened, happened.

Papyrus was becoming more antsy the longer he stared at it, however, quickly walking around the sidewalk and taking a look at everything. "I-I don't see any other spots... perhaps it was from some other human?" His bones rattled as he tried in vain to hope. "A-all humans bleed, right, Sans?"

He nodded in response, though didn't comment as he looked around the area more thoroughly. It looked as if someone had been slammed against the wall before being lugged off. Walking down to the next building, he saw another similar mark with more blood. Gaster's familiar shadow bunch was wriggling excitedly- leading him down the sidewalk fast.

"Pap', I think they left us a trail," He motioned his brother over, quickly hurrying down the sidewalk and followed the Gaster's shadow; noticing the other blood marks as his nonexistent gut coiled in fear. It would be alright. You were fine. It was some other human who was getting hurt. You were fine-!

Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, Sans stared even as Papyrus bumped into him and muttered apologies before pausing himself. "Sans, what's-?" Sans shakily walked forward and grabbed your shoe- one of the very shoes you had been wearing this morning- and held it tightly in his hands.

He knew he should've killed that disgusting human when Gaster told him something was wrong.

His left eye blazed pure blue as he stared at your shoe with righteous fury. Oh, that human was going to pay. He pictured in his mind various ways of killing Chance when he vaguely heard Papyrus whimpering behind him, and glanced- seeing him taking a small step forward and reaching out to him. "B-brother...?"

Taking a deep breath to calm down a little, the intensity of his magic dulled slightly as he stood, holding your shoe. "They've been kidnapped, bro." He growled out, surprising his brother and himself. Papyrus wobbled where he stood, and was about to comment when a guy cleared his throat behind Sans.

"Hey, uh, buddy; you're holding my kid's shoe there. Mind giving it back?" It was a deep, gravelly voice that made Sans' jaw clench. He remembered that voice- though it had been screams then, after saving you in the alleyway. Sans chuckled darkly as Papyrus stepped back, holding the shoe out lazily.

"Oh? My mistake. Thought it was a friends," He drawled out, leaning his head to the side. He could tell the human was getting nervous- if Papyrus' glances meant anything- and he couldn't help the wide, sadistic grin that bloomed on his bones as he turned his head; showing his dark, hollow eye sockets.

"I think you know them. Mind telling me where they are, pal?"

The lackey yelped in surprise as Sans yanked him over with his magic, grinning wide and feral. He squirmed and grunted as he tried to get out of his grip, snarling when he realized he was stuck.

“You can’t do jack shit to me,” He spat, glaring down at Sans. “If anyone finds out that a monster fought back against a human-!”

Sans didn’t listen as he slammed the lackey on the ground with an easy flick of his wrist, giving a light ‘tsk’ under his breath. “As if they’d do anything once they found out about you kidnapping someone. Bet humans have a way of finding out who’s blood on the walls that is, don’t they?” He nodded to the houses with a knowing smirk, shrugging nonchalantly.

The grunt scoffed, but didn’t give him a counter argument. “As if you’ll get them back. The boss is having his way with that fucking weasel right now, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

Papyrus’ bones clacked loudly behind Sans, a small trembling whimper coming out not long after. Sans sneered at the man, slamming him on the ground again. “You’ll tell me where you have them, or so help me…”

He barked out a laugh, grinning back up at Sans. “You’ll what? Kill me? I ain’t afraid to die man; the boss would kill me anyways if you found out. Besides, it’s not like I don’t have the upper hand at the moment anyways.”

Sans had only a moment to narrow his eyes before he felt something shove him from behind; turning his head to see Papyrus pushing him away to take a blow for him. The shove and minor distraction of worry for his brother caused him to lose his hold on the grunt; involuntarily releasing him as he grabbed his brother and teleported a little ways down the street.

The lackey and his partner gave a loud, bellowing laughter as they ran down the street; taking something out of each of their pockets.

“W-We have to follow them!” Papyrus cried out, taking Sans’ hand and dashing forward. His long legs keeping longer strides than Sans could ever hope to do; his speed causing Sans to slightly float above the ground.

“Are you all right bro?” Sans called out, keeping his eyes trained on the men should Papyrus lose them; though taking a moment to glance at Papyrus’ battle body armor. It wasn’t too damaged, but there was a small dent in the shoulder from where he was hit.

“I am fine brother! It will take a lot more than that to take the Great Papyrus down!” He grinned widely, pulling his brother forward before skillfully settling him on his shoulders while keeping his speed. “Now let us gather the needed information from those hooligans!”

“Right,” Sans nodded, narrowing his eye sockets as he kept an eye on the two lackeys. They weren’t too far ahead- being much too big to have fast stamina, and Papyrus’ speed nearly matched Undyne’s, it was hardly a challenge. It was what they had in their hands that worried Sans the most.

It looked like… small containers of oil? Or some kind of liquid?

Whatever it was had Sans at high amounts of unease.

“Just a bit closer Papyrus; I’m almost in range to call out their souls and keep a hold on them.” Sans’ eye was burning a bright blue and yellow, his Karmic Retribution power at the ready to make those men reap what they sowed.

Papyrus charged forward, eyes set and filled with determination; holding on to Sans’ legs tight as he reached closer and closer to the rude men. If what they said was true, then they had their human friend, and that was unacceptable.

However, at the last moment, the men split off; going in either directions. Papyrus growled and flung his right hand up while dodging to the left; grinning with pride as he heard a harsh thump and a pained groan behind him.

“Nyeheheh! We’ll come back to deal with you later, fiend!” He taunted the- now unconscious- man on the ground before trapping him inside a circle of bones; continuing to charge the other man faster.

“Nice one Paps’,” Sans complimented, grinning wide. “Now to the other one.”

“Right!”

The lackey swore under his breath, glancing back at the brother’s with a scowl. “The boss gave me a job to do, and I intend to do it!” He sped up ever so slightly, huffing and puffing from his long run; clutching whatever enclosed liquid he had in his hands.

Sans growled under his breath, reaching forward with his hand as Papyrus gained speed on him, waiting until he was just within reach-!

But the grunt cackled as he turned in his spot and  _ threw _ the contained liquid into a window; just as quickly dashing further up the road. He didn’t get far enough, though, as the building soon exploded- sending the three of them flying back- and erupted into flames; an anguished cry filling the empty streets.

Sans and Papyrus looked over in horror as they saw- what had been Grillby’s building- soon overcome with terrible flames- which they identified to be Grillby himself losing control of his usually smaller form. His terrified and pained shrieks caused the brothers to hold their heads in pain; the heat from fire licking their bodies uncomfortably so.

“Grillbz!” Sans called out, jumping down from Papyrus’ shoulders with ease. “You have to calm down! You’re destroying your bar!”

_ **“H u r t s…!”** _   He crackled out, the flames writhing in pain as they twisted and curled in the cold winds.  _ **“P a i n…!”** _

“I know Grillby, I know!” Sans was nearly panicking, looking around to see what could help Grillby calm down. Gritting his teeth, he spotted the lackey on the ground, groaning in pain. His eye burned brighter than ever as he reached out and pulled him over; glaring with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “What did you  _ d o? _ ”

The man shuddered in fear, squirming this way and that as he stuttered. “Th-the boss wanted m-me to blow up th-the monster bar! S-said it’d cause a distraction!”

_ “Where are they keeping our h u m a n?” _ The man squealed in pain as Sans tightened his hold on him; squeezing his very core.

“A-a-a-at the o-old warehouse! O-on Sunset Drive!”

Sans brought the man closer to his face, his expression betraying nothing but rage and anger. “What did you throw in there?”

“O-Oil!”

Sans sneered in disgust, throwing him to the side on the street, prepared to do  _ much _ more than that when Papyrus’ bones surrounded the man; closing Sans off from doing anymore damage.

“Sans, please, I understand you are angry, but Grillby needs our help! I believe I hear sirens from the human’s firetruck- if they spray water on him-!” Sans nodded stiffly, turning to the whimpering mass of fire.

“Can we contain him?” He asked gruffly, looking for anything that might help.

Papyrus shrugged, his right eye glowing orange. “We can try! I will do my best, brother!” Sans nodded in kind, left eye blazing blue.

Linking their hands together, they reached out with their opposite hands and slowly began crawling their magic up the sides of flames that were starting to spin out of control. They both took care of either side, doing their best to not let the flames touch the surrounding buildings.

Both brothers began to sweat from the exertion of magic; shaking lightly, but held their ground as firmly as possible as their magic coalesced around their flaming friend.

Grillby’s cries were growing quieter and quieter, as their magic pushed his flames back together; forcing him into one being again. The firetruck sirens grew louder as three trucks rounded the corner- soon stopping a little ways away from the scene.

Sans grunted from the distraction, a few flickering flames popping from outside his magic barrier. He forced them back in, putting his whole focus on keeping Grillby enclosed.

“Keep it… steady, brother…!” Papyrus grunted out, eyes narrowed as he strained himself to keep his half together. Grillby was a very strong, very old kind of magic that was very difficult to contain- not to mention he was still concentrating on keeping the two men contained.

God his brother was cool.

“Ready Papyrus?” Sans asked, linking their arms by the humerus. Papyrus nodded, and both of their eyes began burning brighter and brighter as their magic pushed together, and down; forcing Grillby to comply with it.

He groaned and fought, but soon followed the magic down, down, down onto the ground; whimpering as it wrapped tighter and tighter.

The humans that stepped out of the firetrucks looked on in awe as the colours of blue and orange merged and surrounded Grillby’s burning red orange; forcing it back into his usual, smaller form.

Sans and Papyrus shook visibly, and fell to their knees as soon as Grillby was back normally; lying on the burned and ruined floorboards of what used to be his bar. Panting and sweating, the brothers gave out the smallest of chuckles before remembering their situation.

“We gotta go get our pal,” Sans commented, struggling to stand up. Papyrus nodded, but didn’t move as he caught his brother as he fell back to the ground.

“We must rest first, brother,” Papyrus chided softly as the human fire team came closer. “We will be of no use to them tired.”

“Are you boys all right?” A fire woman came close, eyeing Grillby inside the bar. “I didn’t know you magic users could do that! We could use people like you on the crew!”

Sans snorted, and waved the comment off; idly pleased she had said “magic users” and “people” instead of just “monsters”. “It’s, uh, different when the fire is actually another monster. Wouldn’t work for a regular fire.”

The fire woman gave a small smile, motioning over her crew. “Well, we ought to thank you then. Some of my members probably wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference, and we might have accidentally killed someone today if not for you.” Clapping a fireman on the shoulder, she motioned to Grillby. “Get that man to the monster ER on the side of town; poor thing looks exhausted.”   


“Yes ma’am!” He rushed in with two other men following him behind, carefully lifting and carrying Grillby to an ambulance that had just arrived to the scene.

The fire woman turned to the brother’s again, a small frown on her features. “You boys all right though? You look dead tired. And, er, was that your doing by chance?” She jerked her thumb behind her to the lackey that was still contained by bones; a few firemen shoving the bones with their feet.

Papyrus tiredly raised his hand and meekly called out, “Th-that would be me. He was the one who caused Grillby to go out of control.” The woman’s eyes narrowed as he released his bones from the area; turning around to face her men.

“Get that man to the precinct for arson and attempted homicide!” She barked out, causing the men to jerk up in surprise before nodding with a ‘Yes ma’am!’. She turned back to Sans and Papyrus, shaking her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe that some people would actually go out of their way to do something like this.”

Sans nodded, “There’s another one, back down that way.” He pointed over to the sidewalk, motioning to the right. “Take a right  and go all the way down, and he’ll be at the other end of the intersection.

The fire woman gave them an appraising look, smiling proudly. “Well I’ll be. You did a kind service for us today, boys.”

Sans snorted, attempting to get to his feet again; waving away Papyrus’ hands for help. “Wasn’t for  _ you. _ Our pal was kidnapped, and they have them help up at an old warehouse. We needed them to get the information.”

The fire woman’s eyes widened before jerking a nod. “I’ll call the police department to send out a squad of cars down that way. What was the address?”

“Sunset Drive.” Sans grunted as he finally made it to his legs without toppling over, holding onto Papyrus’ shoulder for stability.

Papyrus looked over sadly to the fire woman, holding his brother by his side. “I cannot leave until you have apprehended the other rude man; it is taking the rest of my magic to keep him contained. Could you perhaps get a ride for my brother? We are very worried for our friend.”

The fire woman gave a nod, but Sans waved her off. “I’ve got my own transportation. I’ll be fine. You rest up, bro.” He gave them both a wink before straightening up. “Wanna see a magic trick, lady?”

She furrowed her eyebrows and puckered her lips in confusion. “Magic trick?”

He chuckled, placing a finger to his teeth as he stepped backwards. “Yeah, watch. Now you see me…” His eye sockets closed before flashing open to reveal nothing but black, empty sockets.   
  
“Now you  _ d o n ‘ t. _ ”

And with that, he disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys want to make fanart, feel free! (They make me cry ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) so be prepared for tears.)
> 
> Send them to:  
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301
> 
> Also!  
> Feel free to go to my Tumblr for fanfic updates- under the tag "Fanfiction Update". It'll make it a lot easier for me and you guys to know what's up, since I can't just post an author's note on here.


	23. Revenge is Swift and Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the title said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited to be much, much better, and far longer!  
> And by better, I mean much more descriptive! :D So please do understand the warnings from before still apply.
> 
> Heavy torture, descriptions of how badly you get messed up, lots of messed up mental stuff from Chance because that guy has absolutely been brain washed and lost it.
> 
> WARNING: Contains Torture, revenge, mercy, and a bit of sadness. Long chapter. You have been warned!  
> _________

You sluggishly opened and closed your left eye as your head swam in a sea of pain. Water was splashed in your face- getting into your eyes and nose- and you coughed; struggling to see and breathe as the lackeys barked a laugh at your misery.

Chance's thugs had taken over for a different form of torture; making sure you weren't falling asleep while Chance cleaned off his 'toys'. They smacked you, squeezed already injured parts of your body, threw water in your face- never letting you have the reprieve of falling unconscious for a second.

Chance had already had his 'fun'. Punched your right eye to the point of it being swollen now, your mouth cracked and puffed up from breaking so much. It felt like there was a permanent residence of cotton in there, and you fought to not gag as another bit of blood pooled on your tongue.

Your body was broken in various places all over. Right leg absolutely broken from multiple crunches under Chance's foot, toes unevenly pulled out of their sockets- leading to cramps in your arch. Your fingers were similarly pulled out of their sockets, and your neck was strangled repeatedly till near suffocation from Chance's hands.

Stomach was sliced thinly every time you never responded to the pain that he caused, or when you ignored a question; left shoulder pulled out of its socket. Right elbow crumpled backwards when he got angry at you.

It was a wonder how you were even alive.

You didn't want to give him the satisfaction that he was hurting you. You didn't want him to feel in control. This was not the same boy who shared his food with you because you were starving years ago- this was a broken man who only felt better by hurting people. He didn't deserve to feel powerful, or big.

You sneered at him to the best of your ability, never stopped glaring at him until your swimming head couldn't stand to keep your eyes open much longer- but always went back to glaring whenever your mind caught up to you.

You despised how cruel he was, how revolting he had become over the years. This man- no, this absolute _disgusting monster_  didn't deserve to be called your friend.

You closed your eyes for a moment, wishing desperately not for the first time throughout this that you had listened to Sans.

You tried to shift around, grunting and grimacing in pain with every movement; soon enough giving up from lack of energy to move. Chance chuckled darkly, obviously having noticed your struggle, and placed down the last knife that he cleaned. Waving away the lackeys to the door, he spoke mockingly, "Well, aren't you cute. Still haven't kicked the bucket yet?" He grinned, crossing his arms. "I'm glad! That means we'll have more time to have even more fun!"

You coughed, unable to reply with your dry and cracked throat- having screamed so much that you were sure you wouldn't be able to talk properly for a while. Blood dribbled down your lip as you wheezed from lack of air.

Chance stepped closer to you, squatting between your legs, and patted your heavily injured cheek harshly, causing you to wince. "You're really adorable, you know that? The fact that you thought you could get away with annoying and stopping my families plans for so long, and not have any consequences by it. Real _cute._ "

You looked up to him in confusion, furrowing your eyebrows. "F-fa...mily...?"

He hummed, smiling brightly in response. "Yes, family! Like your horribly distorted and disgusting one you have with those _monsters_ ," He hissed out the word, grinning madly.

"My family protects me, trained me, and helps me with whatever problems I have. You may know them as the "club" I joined?" He only grinned wider when the realization flashed through your eyes. "I found them back in jail, all right. They protected me after a riot broke out. Taught me how to pick locks, the best way to kill someone, how to _break_ ," He pushed back one of your uninjured fingers until it popped, causing you to yelp and cry out, "you into itty. Bitty. Little. Pieces."

He sneered, brown eyes you thought you knew so well only showing pure hatred and disgust. "When those monsters came to the surface, they told me everything they knew about them. How they were rapists, pure blood loving and human eating freaks. And then I find out that you've been running around with those disgusting cretins; fucking with those bozo brothers, and fight back against your own kind. What kind of human are you, _Shorty?_ "

You hissed, glaring past your tears from the overwhelming sense of pain all over your body. "I-I've... been pr-protecting... monsters a-...and hu-humans...!" You stumbled heavily over your words, blood filling your mouth as you leaned up and spat it in his face. "Y-you... id...diot...!!"

Chance snarled in rage, gripping your hair and put a hand to your throat; effectively blocking what remained of your airway and choked you. "Shut up, you fucking idiot! I don't care! All I care about it that you'd be so low enough to lower yourself to their level! You've stooped so low to go against your bothers and sisters- all for what?! Some petty _things_  that "saved" you?!"

His hand gripped tighter, and you made a large choking noise as you felt yourself start to fade; black creeping along the edges of your vision. "I would have saved you! I could have protected you! You wouldn't have had to get those disgusting scars on your body if you just hated monsters the same way I do!" He clenched his hand tighter, and you felt your body fall limp. "You could have been mine, and we could be living up the dream while we destroyed those disgusting things off the earth!"

He threw you to the side suddenly, gripping his hand into a fist as you gasped and coughed for air; shaking but not moving from on the ground.

"You would rather go and protect those skeletons and every other monster over _me?_ " He cried out, kicking you in your hip before pushing you over on your stomach and crushing your back with his weight. You wheezed out a strangled cry, unable to make any sounds as you wiggled in vain from underneath him.

"I should just put you out of your disgusting misery." Chance grinned maliciously again, cracking his knuckles. "But seeing you beg for it would be _so_  much better."

"That's pretty interesting," A deep, gravelly voice called from the doorway of the room, causing Chance to whip his head around in surprise. Standing at the door was Sans with a smile too wide and too tight; his eyes dark and hollow with no light to be seen. His body was shrouded in a mesh of angry and oozing dark shadows that snapped this way and that. "I could say the same thing to you, _bud._ "

Chance glared at Sans and made to run at him with his fist high in the air- only to be met with a wave of his hand. Chance's body lurched backwards against the wall- the concrete cracking from the force.

Sans moved his hand again, and out popped a maroon coloured, cartoon shaped heart; appearing in the front of his chest. With another flick of his hand, it turned bright blue, and Chance was soon launched onto the ground- leaving yet another crack on the floor.

Blood oozed from his face in the ground as he groaned; his body shaking from whatever force kept him held down. You watched as Sans slowly walked forward, the shadows following his every step along the way. They wriggled this way and that; snapping like hungry wolves at Chance's body.

Sans' right eye closed as he kept his left, blazing yellow and blue eye trained on Chance; his grin twisting into something far darker than normal. "Ya know, I knew something like this was going to happen." He moved his hand again, lifting Chance's body a few feet in the air before slamming him down again.

"I saw the signs- even got a message from the dead." Another slam.

"Tried to warn my pal over here, but," Another slam. "You're just too damned determined to ruin our lives, a r e n' t  y o u ?"

Raising his hand sharply, Chance flipped over in the air before slamming back down onto the ground; gasping in pain before screaming instead as bones shot up from the cracks in the concrete flooring through Chance's body. It ripped through him easily; blood spattering across the floor and the walls from where he was.

Satisfied that he couldn't move any more, Sans dropped his ability from Chance, allowing his Soul to drop back inside of him- but didn't let his power fade from his eye. "That sounded real nice, _pal._  Wanna run that by me again, though? I don't think I understood you too clearly."

Smaller bones joined the larger ones with just a flick of Sans' hand, slowly surrounding them with various pointed ends that caused much more painful jabs through Chance's body. Chance sobbed and cried out as his body was slowly broken and bloodied, begging for him to stop.

"Oh, there we go. That's what I like to hear."

The shadows coalesced around Sans seemed to agree, molding together to form a hideous and down right terrifying creator that floated above him. It was like the skull of a dog or a goat; the maw containing sharp, jagged "teeth". Slime oozed from the "mouth" as a deep growling sound came from nowhere and everywhere at once. Chance's breathing became ragged as he stared- nearly hyperventilating from the horrifying sight before him.

Sans chuckled deeply, a sound that made you shiver in a fear you had never felt before. It made your skin crawl, and your body instinctively twitched away from him.

He squatted down next to Chance's body, idling thumbing over the largest bone inside his blood covered arm. "Let's see how much you can take, _pal."_

He ripped out the bone with ease- Chance's cries reverberating off the walls much like yours had earlier. You whimpered loudly, wishing you could cover your ears as Sans grinned wider. "Sounds just swell, _bud._ "

"S-Sans..." You called out weakly, eyes wide in fear and distress. Your arm shook as you reached out for him, trying to get him to stop. "S...st...op!"

He looked over to you, as if seeing you for the first time since he got here, and paused in his brutal torture. The shadows coalesced around him shifted towards you, and you flinched slightly as the black oozing "drool" came closer to you. Your body shook in pure terror as you looked between them, mentally begging for them to stop.

Sans stared at you long and hard before turning back to Chance; his face covered in shadows, save for the wispy glow of his left eye.

"Ya know, I don't find it really fair that when a bad guy does torture, nobody but the victim really ever tells him to stop. Yet," His hand twitched again, and the bones still inside Chance shifted ever so slightly to make him cry out. "When a good guy does it, the victim always begs them to let the bad guy go. Even after being tortured. What kind of whack is that?"

It was a rhetorical question, you knew, but the way Sans turned to look at you, it was as if he was waiting on a real answer. You swallowed thickly, trying to reach out to him again with your broken arm and mess of fingers. "Pl..ease..."

Sans sighed quietly, snapping his fingers to dispel the bones, and the shadows of Gaster slowly faded from view, leaving you two alone. Sans walked over to you; wincing as you automatically flinched away from him.

You shook your head, glaring at nothing as you willed your body to cooperate and wiggled yourself closer to him. "S-orry... pl-lease..."

Sans shook his head, dismissing the apology, and came closer much slower this time. "No, pal, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I was just so..." As soon as he was close enough, you laid your forehead down on his legs; taking in deep breaths. Your vision had been swimming the entire time, and was only getting progressively worse now that everything had stopped.

"S'o...kay... yo...u're... fine..." You slurred, unable to properly form words anymore. Sans looked panic stricken, scanning our body as he gently ran his hand over your head. You sighed at the action, your body relaxing slightly.

"We gotta get ya to a doctor, bud." He muttered, moving his hand to your shoulder. You cried out in pain as he shifted the dislocated socket, tears spilling out of your eyes. "Sh-shit, s-sorry; I-I didn't...!"

You shook your head, uncaring as you knew he didn't do it on purpose, and groaned. "Hu...rry..."

The doors slammed open from behind you two, revealing a more than pissed off Undyne and worried Papyrus- who soon turned near stark white at the scene of blood covered walls, torture devices in the corner, and two bloodied and broken humans.

"Holy _fuck_!?" Undyne shouted, rushing over to you. You flinched from the sudden movements and loud noises, causing Sans to glare and growl in warning to Undyne. She flinched as well, raising her hands up placatingly before slowly squatting down next to you.

"Fuck, are you-? I-I mean," She was at a complete loss of words, staring at your body in horror and slight disgust. "I-I didn't know human bodies could... pose like that..." She looked about ready to vomit. Unable to form laughter at the moment, you merely closed your eyes and focused on breathing. Everything hurt too much to form much of a thought. What was going on again...?

"Papyrus, I need your help." Sans called out, looking at his brother. Papyrus jumped slightly, still eyeing the blood on the walls and floor near Chance before turning to you, quivering slightly in fear. "Buddy, I'm gonna need ya to heal their bones a bit, okay?"

You shook your head as Papyrus came closer, whimpering. "N-need... set th-the..." You couldn't form all the words properly, too out of it. Sans seemed to understand something was wrong and looked back at your limp, dislocated arm.

"Do we need something first, pal?" He questioned quietly, motioning Papyrus closer. He seemed hesitant to step anywhere near you, eyes scanning rapidly over your form.

You gave one nod, unable to move much anymore. Your body felt too heavy, and honestly, sleep sounded really good. "Po-p... bones... i-in..."

Undyne made a face, wrinkling it up in disgust. "You want us to what? Pop your _bones_  back in?!" Sans sneered at Undyne as you whined from her volume again, causing her to sweat slightly. When had the lazy bones gotten so aggressive?

"If that's what they said we have to do, then that's what we have to do." Sans stated firmly, staring hard at Undyne to make sure his point got across. Humans were built differently than monsters. They knew that. She knew that.

Undyne scowled, turning away with a huff before her eyes fell on to Chance's broken body. He was attempting to move any, small whimpers coming out from every movement. She grit her fangs and stood, stomping over to him with furious and violent intent. _"You."_

She grabbed hold of the front of his shirt, hoisting him up and ignored the squeal of pain that left his mouth; pushing her face against his. "You fucking piece of shit. I ought to take your mother fucking Soul for this." Chance quivered in fear, gulping lightly as he stared back at Undyne.

She held out her free hand, forming a spear, before pushing it against his neck. Chance flinched and tried to lean away, but Undyne wasn't having any of it. "Nuh uh, chucklefuck. You are so _dead_ -!"

"Hold it right there," A police officer spoke loudly, gun pointed towards Undyne. A few more officers stood behind them, hands at their gun holsters. "Ma'am, I'm going to need you to drop the boy, and step away from him slowly."

Undyne sneered, waving her spear around. "Why does everyone need to barge in when I'm about to deal justice?!" Her spear disappeared as she slammed her fist into the wall angrily- startling more than a few officers- before dropping Chance back to the floor with a huff and moved away; leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

The officers slowly stepped in, in a calm and orderly fashion; taking in the scene. Papyrus had yet to start pushing your bones back into their sockets, and you were drifting out more than in at this point. Sans had to gently shake you to keep you awake, sweat collecting on the top of his skull.

He kept a firm grip on you as he turned around to look at the officers. "Heya, you know of a hospital around here?" The one who spoke earlier rose an eyebrow before taking a quick glance at your form- and the quietly sobbing Papyrus behind you- before nodding.

"Yessir, there's one just off of Annabelle Street. It's not too big, but you can find it pretty easily. Would you like one of the men to drive you there?"

Sans nodded, feeling exhaustion sweep though his bones as he held your- now unconscious- form close. "Yeah, that'd be great pal." The officer nodded in return, shouting quick orders to his men before having a few others take care of Chance's broken form; dragging him onto a stretcher before rolling him out.

Another was brought for your body, and Papyrus easily swept you up- being sure to keep mindful of all your injuries- and gently laid you down on the stretcher. Undyne, Sans, and Papyrus followed your body out of the building.

Outside, Alphys was standing there waiting amongst the various unconscious bodies of HPP thugs; looking very worried and even more nervous than usual. She perked up at seeing the group, but turned as white as a sheet as she saw your sleeping body and the amount of blood covering the brothers and Undyne.

The brothers continued following your body into the ambulance that was followed by two squad cars; Undyne staying behind with Alphys to keep her calm. After a moment of a long breathing exercise, Undyne began to answer questions- albeit reluctantly- for a police officer, while Alphys watched the ambulance drive away with wide, horror filled eyes.

 

* * *

 

Sans and Papyrus weren't allowed in your room right away. They had to wait outside the operating room (not being allowed to stay in the waiting room for the reason that they looked like oddly dressed Grim Reapers) while the doctors got to work fast on mending your body; filling you with needles and tubes after a long winded process of relocating your bones into their sockets.

About a long seven hours later, you were laid in a room to rest and the nurse allowed Sans and Papyrus to visit. They were silent as they looked over your sleeping form; occasionally trailing their fingers over your new bandages. After about an hour, they both took a seat in small chairs and simply sat close to you; stroking your arm or hair to keep themselves calm.

The nurse had reluctantly and apologetically told them that they needed to go home once visiting hours were over; nearly scampering out of the room in fear as the brothers simply glared at her, their respective eyes blazing.

No one bothered them much after that.

They sat and watched you for hours; Papyrus switching between being utterly silent or crying to himself as he stroked your thickly bandaged covered hand. Sans didn't say or do anything other than stroke your head the way you liked it, and staring with a mile long gaze at your face.

They didn't sleep that night, or the next. They didn't leave, they didn't eat, and they felt more than exhausted by the time Undyne and Alphys came for a visit- which was three days after your hospital admission.

(Apparently Undyne had a few problems with the police officers that needed sorting out. Sans nor Papyrus bothered to ask, and no one gave any more of an explanation.)

The girls forced the brothers to eat the spider donuts they had bought, admonishing them lightly for their lack of self care before surrounding the room in the flowers that they brought for you- and a few hand made 'Get Well Soon' cards.

It was a long night for the four of them, talking to you while you slept as Alphys brushed your hair or Papyrus stumbled through a bedtime story.

Undyne began talking about how when you got better, she would take you under her wing and train you to become the best fighter the world has ever seen- besides her, of course- and Papyrus immediately joined in, saying he would too. Alphys told you she would help you get better with some Nice Cream and great anime shows she knew would make you laugh.

Sans didn't talk, simply sitting there in silence- staring and holding your hand. Even when the girls left to go home and sleep the next morning, the brothers stayed in silence, watching over your gently sleeping body.

Papyrus looked at you mournfully, stroking your hand again as he thought to himself. Sans was about ready to drop off after six nights of no sleep when Papyrus spoke up. "Sans... did you..." He sighed, looking over to his brother. "Did you... hurt the human Chance...?"

Sans was silent as he continued staring at you, but nodded anyways. He had done it, and he'd do it again, if given the _chance_. Heh.

What a piece of shit that human was.

"While I do not condone you doing a violence, brother," Papyrus chastised quietly before his eyes weld up with orange like tears again. "Thank you."

Sans nodded again, reaching over and squeezed Papyrus' hand consolingly; staying that way even as they finally fell asleep on your bed somewhere along the night.

That morning, a nurse quietly opened the door and peered in; cooing at the sweet sight before her. She quietly stepped inside and gently laid blankets on top of Papyrus and Sans before moving over to you and sweeping your hair out of your face.

"You've got wonderful friends here, dear. They've all been so patient waiting for you. Please heal up and wake up soon. They all miss you." Stroking your hair gently, she pulled away and stepped out of the room and closed the door just as quietly as she had entered; leaving you all to sleep in peace.

It was around a day and a half later when you finally opened your eyes, your body shuddering from the cold room as your eyes glanced around to see the brothers sleeping next to you; your hands in theirs. You smiled gently, thumbing their bones slowly as you looked around the room.

Various flowers were brought and placed in vases on the window sill, along with some stuffed animals.

You chuckled weakly, burying your head further down into the pillow as Sans stirred; taking a deep breath. "Mornin'..." Your voice crackled heavily from screaming and disuse, but it got the point across as Sans shot up and was wide awake immediately, staring at you.

"H-hey; y-you... you're finally awake?" You grinned slightly, squeezing his finger tips lightly.

"Mm." He stood, carefully and reluctantly letting go of your hand as he reached out to touch your cheek; stroking it softly.

"I'm a moron," He called out suddenly, but quietly, so as to not wake up Papyrus. His eyes and smile were tight with pain. "I'm an idiot, I'm stupid as fuck, and I really don't deserve you. You have every right to hate me, and I know you didn't want to see me again, but-!"

You snorted, as best as you could, anyways, with tubes stuck in your nose. Shakily reaching up, you placed a hand on his cheek bone, and smiled as he immediately pushed his face into it.

"I'm th-the i-diot," You croaked out, desperate to make your point. "I-I didn't li-isten to you... or G'. I-I let myself be tricked... because of that s-stupid asshole. I-If I could t-take it all back, I would..."

Sans chuckled, holding your palm against his face and nuzzled into it. "Pap' said the same thing."

You gave him a small smile, looking over to Papyrus' snoozing form. "How has he been holding up?"

Sans rubbed his teeth in a kissing manner against your palm, just taking a moment to relish the fact that you were awake. "He's been a trooper. He read to you every night after the girls came to visit, or would just talk to you while petting your head."

You smiled brighter than before, wishing you could reach out to stroke Papyrus' head. Your unoccupied arm, however, was currently held in a sling. You winced at the sight; you were suddenly having minor flashbacks of what happened that awful night.

"Hey, hey; you're okay," Sans hushed as you started breathing irregularly. He gently stroked your head and "kissed" you on your temple, trying his best to coax you away from your thoughts. "He can't get ya now. He's in jail for a long, long time. He ain't comin' back."

You nodded, throat closing in on itself, keeping you from talking properly. God, it would be so hard to think that... your best friend- the very person you grew up with- became to be... _that_.

And did all that to you.

You let out a shaky breath as Sans slowly eased himself away, wiping away some stray tears. "You're gonna be okay, pal. Don't worry about a thing." You swallowed a bit and sighed deeply, trying to relax your erratically beating heart.

"Th-thank you," You muttered, sniffling to yourself. He raised a browbone in question, making you elaborate. "F-for... coming for me. S-saving me, a-and... n-not killing Ch-Chance..." You cringed at his name, a shudder racing down your back.

Would you ever be okay after that nightmare? You really hoped so.

"Hey, don't worry about it, pal. I'll always be there for you." He stroked your hand gently, minding the bandages and wounds that lay underneath, and gave you a worried look. "Don't ever think we won't be, okay?"

You bit your lip and nodded. You probably would never doubt that, now more than ever. Papyrus stirred from his sleeping position, giving a rather adorable yawn as he stretched. "Good morning Sans, Date-Friend..."

"Morning Papyrus," You called out as best you could, smiling tiredly as Papyrus whipped his head around and teared up at the sight of you.

"D-Date-Friend! You're awake!" It took everything you had to not flinch as he suddenly stood up from his chair, and leaned over to nuzzle your head. You couldn't stop yourself entirely from stiffening up though, and gave an awkward chuckle.

"Mm, I am." He retreated to his seat, grasping the blanket that was covering you.

"How are you feeling? Should we get a doctor? Or nurse?" Papyrus looked concerned, flickering his gaze back and forth between you and Sans.

Sans chuckled, carefully squeezing your bandaged hand before setting it down. "Yeah bud, I'll go get a nurse. I'm sure they'll know what to do."

You restrained the need to keep Sans close, instead turning to Papyrus as Sans walked out the door to get a nurse. "How are you Papyrus? Sans... said you've been reading to me at night?"

Man it hurt to talk.

"O-oh yes!" He gently- oh-so gently, this sweet skeleton of yours- took up your now free hand and stroked it similarly to how Sans just finished doing. "You looked so much more relaxed after I finished a story, a-and it seemed to ease Sans as well after a while."

You- as well as you could, anyways- squeezed your fingers around Papyrus' and sighed thankfully. "I-I'm glad. I'm s-sorry to have... worried you both. And running off w-with Ch-Chance like I did."

Papyrus shook his head, giving a watery smile. "No, no, please don't apologize! We've a-all done things we regret. I-I'm just..." He breathed deeply, leaning in close to your head again as his shoulders shook lightly. "I'm so happy that you are all right...!"

Your heart clenched in guilt as you moved your hand to stroke his skull, despite the awkward position. "Shh, i-it's okay Papyrus. I'm gonna be fine, I think."

"After about two months or so, yes, you'll be fine." A nurse came in holding a clipboard with Sans right on her heels. She flashed you a smile that seemed a bit regretful. "Apologies for stepping in on you, but your friend here was insistent on checking in on you as soon as possible."

Sans trotted back over to your side and began stroking your hair as if to affirm that you were really there. You didn't mind- you didn't even grow stiff the second time Papyrus came so close to you- and definitely felt more at ease with the both of them around.

"I called up the girls, so they'll show up in a bit." Sans murmured to you, and you nodded in thanks.

The nurse moved some weird... sheets? for lack of better description on to a thing attached to the wall, before flicking on a switch. _'Ah, an x-ray machine,'_   You thought to yourself, letting your eyes scan the images.

Sans and Papyrus seemed to stiffen at the sight as the nurse looked at her clipboard, flipping through pages.

"So, you've got a pretty serious case here," She flipped between pages, probably checking some notes or something. "Three broken ribs, a broken radius and dislocated- nearly shattered -elbow; all but two fingers broken or dislocated, same with your toes..."

She takes a much needed breath before continuing, "Shattered tibia, markings on your throat that indicate you were strangled near suffocation, black eye, dislocated shoulder, and multiple laceration wounds all over your body- not counting the multiple scars that were already there."

She let the papers flop back onto the clipboard and looked up to see two skeletons who looked ready to either cry or barf with mixed emotions of anger and grief, while you just looked tired and scared. The nurse gave you a sympathetic smile, flicking off the light from the x-ray.

"All in all, it will be a while till you properly heal," She moves a rolling chair from the corner of the room to the end of your cot and sits on it, grabbing a pen from her pocket, writing down something on the first page of her clipboard. "Not including any mental trauma you've received from this attack. Do you have any questions you'd like to ask?"

You licked your dry lips, clearing your dry throat. "W-water?" Papyrus shot up in his seat, reaching over to the end table on his side and grabbed a small paper cup before lifting it over to you and helped you slowly drink some water.

Sans fisted the blanket in his hand while Papyrus took care of you, sweating slightly on his skull as he looked over to the nurse. "W-will they be able to... recover from all that?"

She looked surprise at the question before nodding. "Oh yes. The physical trauma will take time, but will be over far quicker than the mental. I'd give it about three months until they're able to walk properly again, and maybe one to four years of getting better from their mental trauma."

Sans looked over at you as you finished your drink, the white pinpricks that were his eyes gazed over at you in awe. "Humans really are different, eh?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand?" The nurse commented lightly, tilting her head. "Humans are different how?"

Papyrus wrung his hands together, looking sadly at the nurse. "When damage this substantial happens to monsters, it is nearly irreversible. It would take much longer than a few months or years to get better."

Sans nodded, taking up your hand again. "Probably has something to do with Monster bodies having far less physical matter than Humans do."

The nurse hummed and nodded, giving a bright smile. "That does make sense! You learn something new everyday." With a giggle, she stood and placed her clipboard on her chair and gave you another sympathetic smile. "I'm really sorry for this, but, we're going to have to check your vitals and whatnot, which... includes syringes. Do you have any phobias? I could probably get something to make it easier for you."

You shook your head, trying desperately to keep the thoughts of _that night_ out of your head. "S-so long as they're here, I'm okay."

She smiled sweetly and nodded. "All right then. Sir, I'm going to need that arm your holding in a sec', so if you could move over there?" She pointed to Papyrus' side before leaving the room to grab her supplies.

It was a painstaking experience of seeing a roller table come in the room with a bunch of tools on it- much to similar to that night for your experience. It took a while for the brothers to calm you down- and even longer for the nurse to take your blood.

You really just wanted to go home now.

After a small check up, the nurse took pity on you and left you three alone. You were silent as Papyrus and Sans both eased you and themselves by stroking your head or hand; talking quietly and calmly to keep your mind off things.

It wasn't much longer afterwards that the girls finally showed up, arms ladened with bags and presents. "Punk! Holy shit, you look like hell!"

You chuckled, shakily moving to sit up with Papyrus' help. He laid a pillow behind your back and you sighed in relief as the pressure that the stitches you apparently had eased from the support.

Alphys padded up next to you, moving a bag of goodies next your side before handing you a white stuffed dog. You took it and chuckled as it gave a small yapping noise when you squeezed it.

"I-Inside the bags is Monster Goods," Alphys explained, taking out a spider doughnut from Muffet's. "Th-they're mostly for healing your S-Soul, but, I figured it wouldn't h-hurt for you to have s-some anyways."

You gave her an appreciative smile and took the doughnut; munching it carefully. Your jaw hurt, your everything hurt. You could only hope this wouldn't feel like too long before you could move properly again.

As you swallowed the doughnut, you felt it disappear before even reaching halfway through your esophagus and a loving warmth filled your chest before fading away slightly.

Sans chuckled at you, smiling softly. "You act like you hadn't eaten at Muffet's before. Though maybe you weren't paying attention to it."

You stared at the doughnut before shrugging. You were too drugged up and tired to care about anything right now; silently munching away on your delicious treat. It was after three more, and a bit of delicious spider cider, that you started to feel better. You could feel your toes, which was an amazing feat considering they were still broken.

Undyne crossed her arms and leaned against the window as she looked over at your body with an angry scowl. When she met your gaze, she quickly looked away with a growl. "Can't believe that asshole did that to you. God, humans are still so shitty!" She paused for a moment, giving you a sheepish look. "Well, most, anyways."

You nodded, not at all going to defend humanity as a whole. Your kind was pretty fucked up- look at your entire childhood, hell, your whole life! Broken, beaten, and damned until Monsters showed up out of the blue, and you actually felt cared for than you had in a long time.

It was... kind of sad, really.

"So what happened?" Undyne questioned, looking curious. "How did it get to that anyhow?"

"We had a fight," Sans spoke nonchalantly, shrugging. "It was a stupid fight. In the end, our pal here walked out with Chance before we could stop 'em." You nodded, wringing the blanket in your hands.

"After that, Ch-Chance took me out to dinner the next night." You wrinkled your nose in distaste. "He tried to get me to move in with him."

Undyne chortled, holding her hand over her mouth. "Holy shit! He moves on real fast!"

You chuckled, nodding. "I said no, and he got mad. We started arguing and I stormed out." You paused, flushing slightly in embarrassment. "I may have, ah, splashed wine in his face."

Undyne snorted, leaning over to slap her leg. "Are you serious?! That's fucking amazing. Bastard definitely deserved it."

You only hummed in response, leaning your head back onto your heavily fluffed pillow. "After I stormed out, I walked down the sidewalk and was jumped by his lackeys. Apparently he became the new HPP leader over the holidays." You sneered, glaring at the wall across from you.

Papyrus gently laid his hand on your shoulder as Sans growled quietly next to you, holding your hand. You sighed and released your anger. Wouldn't do you much good anyways.

"S-so they took you to their base afterwards?" Alphys questioned softly, tapping her claws together. You nodded and sighed quietly.

"Yeah. Brought me to a room, and... well, I think you guys know what happened from there." You chuckled dryly, looking at your broken and battered body. You really hoped the Monster food would at least heal you more than what Alphys thought it would. You wouldn't be able to stand not moving around on your own for a few months.

You gave a yawn as you held the white plush dog close to your chest, body sinking slightly into the plush pillows. "You should probably get some rest, bud," Sans spoke, grinning wide. You could feel Papyrus' heated gaze that was trained on his brother. "No need to resist a-rest."

Your soft laughs were hidden underneath everyone's groans, and you couldn't help but shake your head.

"Would... would you mind staying until I fall asleep?" You asked quietly, not meeting anyone's gaze. You could feel your cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "I-I'd rather not... be alone."

"We're right here with you!" Undyne shouted, grinning wide. Alphys nodded enthusiastically as she moved to sit on the roller chair the nurse had left.

"We ain't leaving ya, bud." Sans winked, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand. Papyrus reached down and grabbed a book off the floor, moving closer so he could read and pet your head at the same time.

You smiled in relief as all your friends- your family- came closer around you and helped make you feel safe. It was a few minutes into the story that you began to nod off, feeling someone pull away your tray of food, and tuck you in with ease; sending you drifting off into much needed rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this needs more Papyrus. Hm.  
> Oh well- I can just add more in the next chapter.
> 
> EDIT: FUCCCCCCCCCCCK I FORGOT TO ASK WHAT COLOUR SOUL WOULD GO BEST FOR THIS CHARACTER  
> IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY PREFERENCE OR IDEAS PLEASE LET ME KNOW  
> I'M SO STUCK ON IT  
> \---
> 
> If you guys want to make fanart, feel free! (They make me cry ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) so be prepared for tears.)
> 
> Send them to:  
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301
> 
> Also!  
> Feel free to go to my Tumblr for fanfic updates- under the tag "Fanfiction Update". It'll make it a lot easier for me and you guys to know what's up, since I can't just post an author's note on here.


	24. Soul Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You see your soul. It's pretty interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I did a thing.
> 
> I'm honestly not sure where the HELL I'm going with it, but I like it, so I guess that's what matters most.
> 
> I want to special thanks to Exlimixia for the soul idea, and thank all of _you_ for the soul colours! There were so many to choose from, and I apologize if your idea was not picked. They were all gorgeous, and if the Reader had multiple souls, I'd give them all of those colours!  <3 
> 
> I also want to thank Meg and JennOfHearts4 for the adorable fan art. You guys are sweeties. <3
> 
> Edited; super long now, and yes, Sans is acting rather... strange right now. It'll come out to fruition as to why, if you haven't already guessed, LOL. Sorry if it confuses you! Feel free to ask why he is, of course, if you're too confused.  
> \-------

Throughout the first month, you were ~~showered~~ provided with plenty of Monster goods to help your healing process. You were actually really thankful for it; they apparently had a previously unknown ability to soothe any aches and pains from your broken and dislocated joints far better than any pain medication.

The doctors and nurses were having a field day with the discovery, all agreeing that it would be best to order some for others who were much fussier about taking meds, and thanked your group for bringing it to their attention. It made you smile with how embarrassed they all were for the praise from other Humans.

Hell, you were happy the other Humans hadn't even so much as glared or stared at your friends! It was like there weren't any bigots in the world at all in your small hospital room. It was great.

After the long and rather boring first month of healing, you were given a check up and started up your physical therapy sessions to help you work back up to your previous mobility. It was hard, but you were thankful that before, during, and after every session, everyone was still with you and cheering you on to get better.

The nights were much, much more difficult to get through, though. The first night when you were left alone at the hospital- Sans and Papyrus had missed far too many days of work without checking in and were in some deep trouble with their boss, and the girls needed to go to work early every morning- you had awful nightmares.

Chance cutting into you, whispering god awful words as he tortured you again and again, and the dark look that Sans had on his face as he completely broke Chance. You were always woken up by Gaster, who kept you company most nights that you knew you couldn't sleep.

While he wasn't here- physically- it was nice to know you had someone to watch over you while you tried fitfully to sleep. It made you feel safer.

But you definitely wanted to go home. You missed sleeping in your bed, you missed Papyrus' dinners, Sans' deep baritone voice as he talked with you...

You mostly missed Sans and Papyrus, though. It always seemed too soon that they had to leave your hospital room everyday- they never missed a visiting day- and they always told you about their days while you ate some more Monster food.

Apparently Muffet had been notified of your admission to the hospital because she had sent over a large jug of cider with a dozen donuts and about five crescents. You'd have to remember to thank her later.

After about a month and a half, you were given the okay to go home, so long as you continued your physical therapy with Alphys- as the other doctors and nurses learned she had been a doctor (more scientifically than anything else, but she knew a few healing things too)- and to not stress your body out anymore than it already was.

You were squirming excitedly in your seat as Papyrus pushed you down the halls in your wheel chair, more than ready to leave the sterile halls and building behind. You really hoped you never had to go there again; you were honestly going a bit stir crazy from sitting in place for so long.

"Oh, I am so pleased you can finally come home!" Papyrus squeezed his hands on the handles of your wheel chair, doing his best to keep his pace slow. You appreciated that; you didn't think your body could handle high speeds at the moment. "We fixed up the couch to look good as new! Undyne and Alphys have agreed to have a Date Night tonight, so we shall seem them in a bit!"

Sans patted your hand before Papyrus picked you up out of your wheel chair and carefully sat you down in the backseat; taking extreme care to make sure you were comfortable and safely strapped in before placing the wheel chair in the trunk. Both brothers got in the car, and began the drive home.

"Undyne seemed to have a few things planned for dinner, so I'd recommend getting your stomach ready." Sans called back to you with a wink. You grinned, your not broken arm patting your leg excitedly.

"It's been ready, to be honest. If you guys hadn't been bringing me those monster goods, my taste buds would probably be dead." You wrinkled your nose in distaste. "Hospital food is just as bad as they say it is."

Papyrus gave a 'nyeh heh heh!' as he slowed down to a red light. "Well fear not, friend! Undyne and I shall prepare a huge feast for your return to welcome you home properly!"

You couldn't keep the excited smile off your face as you leaned back in your seat, enjoying the wind flow through your hair and on your skin. The sun and wind felt so nice after a month and a half of just sitting in a room doing nothing all day and night.

In fact, before you knew it, Papyrus was lifting you out of the car and carrying you to the house. You yawned as you opened your eyes, wincing from the strain of moving your mouth.

"Oh, you have awoken!" Papyrus gently nuzzled your head as Sans hopped up the stairs to open up the door for him. "I hope you enjoyed your rest. For we shall have nothing but excitement for the next few hours!" You grinned as the door swung open, and sharp popping noises rang through the air, causing you to flinch.

"WELCOME HOME!" Undyne and Alphys shouted, grinning widely. You shuddered slightly in Papyrus' arms, waving your hand in a hello. Papyrus frowned slightly, stepping through the door after Sans.

"Are you all right friend? Perhaps we should have not used the poppers." You tried to quell your shivering, biting your lip as you calmed down your racing heart. Alphys winced and padded over, laying her hand on your bicep.

"O-oh, shoot, I-I should have re-realized loud n-noises might trigger y-you," She looked guilty as hell, and wrung her hands together. "I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll do better t-to remember next time!"

You gave her a half smile as your body ever so slowly calmed down, waving her off. "N-no, it's okay. I-I just... wasn't expecting it." You forced yourself to match Undyne's larger grin from before, wiggling slightly in Papyrus' hold. "Can I sit down now?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" Papyrus stepped around Alphys as he moved to the living room, setting you down on the couch just as carefully from before in the car. You practically melted in relief as you sunk in to the couch- which looked exactly like the last one before it broke- and sighed in contentment.

Undyne was frowning a bit as she grabbed Papyrus' arm. "Hey, we better get started on cooking the rest of the food." To you, it looked like she just wanted to talk about something. Probably concerning you, but you didn't really take offence to it. You were too comfortable now that you were back home and in familiar territory with familiar company.

As Undyne dragged a happily chattering Papyrus to the kitchen, Sans and Alphys sat on either side of you on the couch; Alphys a bit farther away from you than what was normal. You carefully reached out with your cast covered arm and wrapped your fingers around her hand; giving her a smile when she looked over at you in surprise.

"I hope you know I'm not mad at you for that," You waved your other hand in the air. "I honestly wasn't expecting to seize up like that."

Alphys squeezed your hand softly- to the point where you only noticed she did it because you saw her claws move- and sighed. "I-I should have thought, though. You j-just got through something s-so traumatic! I-I just feel d-dumb for not thinking a-about it."

You shook your head, giving her a softer smile. "Don't worry about it, cause now you'll remember. I don't hold it against you Alphys."

Sans sunk into his seat as he closed his eyes, his smile a bit tense. "Yeah, and if you don't, it won't be hard to remind ya." He shrugged nonchalantly, opening one eye over to her. "Just think like they're you when you were Underground, pal."

Alphys nodded furiously, holding your hand a little tighter. "O-oh, yes! That's a g-good idea." She turned to you, flushing a bit on her scales. "I-I was very... anxious a-and not at a-all confident in myself. I-I know you're n-not fully like that, b-but it'll help m-me remember to n-not... do that again."

You nodded your thanks and leaned your head back to close your eyes. "I appreciate that, thanks." You didn't really want to say it out loud, but you were pretty terrified. Your mind just seized up and stopped working; screaming at you that Chance was close by and he was going to attack you again.

You repressed a frown and a shudder that tried to go through your spine.

Sans gripped your free hand, giving it a small squeeze. "You feeling hungry pal? Undyne and Paps' made some smaller snacks earlier, if ya'd like those."

You hummed, opening your eyes, and looked over at the kitchen. Undyne and Papyrus were laughing loudly as you heard splattering noises hitting the walls. "Sure, I could go for something small right now. Anythings fine, but I would like some water, please."

Sans patted your thigh before getting up and slowly made his way to the kitchen. Alphys looked around for a moment before getting up herself, making her way to a small bag near the door.

"W-would you mind if I brushed your hair?" She pulled out a small hair brush, showing it to you. "I-I did it while you had b-been asleep at the hospital wh-when we first visited."

You smiled and nodded, shifting in your seat slightly. "Yeah, I don't mind. Go for it." She smiled and hopped her way back over; sitting on her knees as she reached up and slowly brushed your locks. You sighed, closing your eyes again as you let her do her thing. It was very relaxing.

"Y-you have such wonderful hair!" Alphys gushed, smiling brightly. Her claws grazed through your strands, only slightly tugging on a few knots that had formed in the wind, and she giggled. "K-kinda makes m-me wish I had some. I pl-play with Undyne's all the time at home!"

You grin at the thought, imagining the beefy, tough, extremely intimidating fish woman curling up cutely on her girlfriend's lap with a content smile on her face. "That's super fucking cute, Alphys."

She squeaked before laughing, running her brush through your hair slowly. "Th-thank you? Sh-she enjoys it a l-lot, I think. I-I mostly do it to get her to fall a-asleep some nights when she's feeling super restless- s-sometimes extreme exercising just i-isn't enough for her." You only hum in response, feeling rather sleepy yourself from the soothing action.

"Hey, c'mon Alph; you're going to put them back to sleep at this rate," Sans walked up, a plate of cookies and other confectionery treats in one hand, and a water bottle in another. Alphys tittered quietly, easing her brush away despite your small whine. Sans carefully laid the plate of treats on your lap before handing you your water and slid back into his spot next to you, leaning his shoulder up against yours for contact.

You gave him a kiss on his skull in thanks before opening the pre-opened water bottle. You shot Sans an amused look before taking a swig, mentally sighing in relief at the taste. You were certain the doctors put painkillers in your water to ease some of your pains throughout the day, and it always made it taste funny. Pure, clean water was delicious.

You took a cookie in your mouth with a pleased hum, though it quickly turned into an annoyed growl as crumbs made their way down your cast. That was going to annoy you later. Dang it. You were about to switch your items in your hands, trading the cooking for the water bottle, when Sans quickly helped you out by taking the water bottle from you with a grin. "Lemme give ya a _hand_  there, pal."

You snorted as Alphys giggled, plopping the rest of the cookie in your mouth. "Thanks. Another set of hands could... come in _handy_." You could hear Papyrus and Undyne groan in the kitchen, causing the three of you to snicker from the couch.

"W-well, _eye_  s-see what you did there!" Alphys joined in, grinning wide. Sans chortled, closing the water bottle so he didn't spill it from shaking so much. You gave an approving wink as you tossed another cookie in your mouth.

"Please do not tell anymore puns!" Papyrus cried out, peeking his head around the corner of the wall. "That is not something that will help our friend get better!"

"Aw, but Paps!" You cooed, grinning wide. He gave you a warning look, knowing what you were about to do. "I like what I _ear_!"

Groaning noises intensified.

Sans chuckled from his seat as Alphys held her hands over mouth to quell her loud giggles. You leaned back carefully with a pleased grin on your face. You missed everyone hanging out like this. It felt nice to relax and joke around after all the bullshit that had happened.

You stuffed a small pie looking treat in your mouth to get rid of the disgusting taste that was beginning to form.

You paused as you began to taste... eggs? And was that cheese with bacon?

"How is it? Been a while since I made quiche." Sans asked, running his fingers up and down your leg idly. You were surprised- Sans could cook? Or, rather, bake?

"I didn't know you baked," You peered over at him, noting how he shrugged 'nonchalantly', not looking at you. "It's really good. Though, I don't think I've ever had a 'quiche' before, so I don't really know what to compare it to. But it was good!"

"Heh, thanks." He gave you a small grin, scratching the back of his skull. "Which one did you pick? I made a bunch of different ones."

"It had eggs, bacon, and cheese." You swished your tongue around your teeth, kinda hoping the taste would come back again. "There are different kinds?" Sans nodded, playing with your leg bandages.

"Yeah, plenty. You use eggs to make the quiche really, but you could add anything and everything to it. It's pretty great." He has a fond look on his face that you feel... happy to see. It surely wasn't a look you'd seen often, and it made you wonder why _quiche_  made him look like that.

Maybe it wasn't the quiche...?

Shrugging off the thought, you looked at your plate, scanning for anymore quiches. "Sounds pretty cool. How many did you make?"

Sans winces slightly, cheek bones turning blue as he began to sweat. "Uhh..."

"Sans, what would you like for me to do with your pile of sugary pies?" Papyrus called out, leaning out from the kitchen again. "They are taking up space in the fridge! Why did you buy so many?"

You blankly stared at Papyrus before your lips began twitching and forming a wide smile. Sans groaned quietly from beside you, and Alphys looked like she was ready to implode from laughter.

"Sans," You asked calmly, eyes glinting in barely hidden amusement. "How many did you make?"

He buried his face in his hands as he murmured, "...Two-hundred."

"Oh my fucking _GOD!"_

 

* * *

 

" _CHA-LA HEAD CHA-LA!"_  Undyne and Alphys sang along with the opening theme to 'Dragon ball Z', faces glued to the screen. You all had eaten the lovely- and extremely delicious- dinner made by Undyne and Papyrus; a full course... dinner... with various foods. Thankfully, all prepared with magic, as to ease your pains and aches (and though you were only half certain they didn't intend for that, it still pleased you). You weren't given any pain medication as the doctors must have assumed you'd be filled to the brim with Monster food anyways.

You released a contented sigh as you snuggled close to Papyrus' form on your right, leaning your head against Sans' shoulder to your left. You were currently all smushed on the floor- having moved the coffee table (which had also been replaced from the fight)- and laying down on soft comforters and blankets to help ease pressure off your stitches and the rest of your body.

It also doubled as the perfect place for everyone to sleep tonight, nobody intending to leave whatsoever, now that you were home. You had been informed that every single one of them had asked and received a "family leave" for their jobs so they could help take care of you without getting in trouble. It was sweet of them.

Papyrus gently stroked your hair, letting it fall through his fingers as he tiredly watched the anime; nuzzling his face into yours. "I am very pleased you are home, Date-Friend..." His murmur was so quiet and unlike himself that it took you a moment to process; turning your gaze to him as he yawned. "I was... We were all very worried for your well-being. It scared us all that you were so... broken."

You glanced over at the girls, who didn't hear a word of what was going on, but noticed Sans had, as he gave a twitch of his fingers on your held hand. You gave them both a soft smile; kissing each of their cheek bones as best you could without moving too much. "Sorry for worrying you guys..."

They both gave you "kisses" back on either temple; moving closer around you. Carefully, Papyrus adjusted himself lower as he laid his arm across your stomach- below where your stitches were- as Sans slid his arm underneath your back, not even looking at the TV anymore.

"Try not to do something like that again, all right?" Sans asked teasingly, though you could see it in his face that he was just hiding behind a mask of nonchalance. "We wouldn't want to lose you entirely now."

You merely nodded, planting a few more kisses on his skull, a frown tugging at your lips. "I'm really sorry I didn't believe you, Sans. _God_ , you were so right about him." You scowled briefly before sighing and shaking your head. Papyrus moved his head to your shoulder, easing himself as close to you as he could, while Sans merely chuckled.

"It's okay, pal. He was supposed to be yer friend. What you expected out of him should'a been what he was," His eyes grew dimmer, laying his head down next to yours as he became quieter. "But... people change. An' humans... aren't always the best, especially when it comes to power and the like."

You merely shake your head, wanting to get off such a dark topic. It was over with now. You'd never see Chance again. It was time to move on from it all.

Looking down at your body, you sighed. It was wishful thinking, at least.

"What are you nerds talking about over there?" Undyne griped, glaring over at the three of you. She quickly grinned, taking in your small snuggling group. "Getting all sappy and shit over there? Fuhuhu! Not even a full day home, and you punks are getting gushy!"

You snorted as you leveled Undyne with a dry look. "You'd be doing the exact same thing if something happened to Alphys. I want these nerds to cuddle me up and kiss me, damn it. It's Date Night- I do what I want."

Undyne cackled as both the brothers turned blue and red; Alphys turning a bit red as well as she snickered to herself. "Jeez, upfront and honest, huh? Well, you are right," She swung out her arm and pulled Alphys close, causing her unsuspecting girlfriend to squeak out in surprise. "Even if something didn't happen to Alphy, I'd smooch her all day long!"

Alphys began turning bright red, whining behind her hands as Undyne proceeded to smooch her senselessly. The three of you laughed at the scene, shaking your heads. What a bunch of goofballs.

You sigh as everyone calmed down- or, rather Alphys began trying to calm down- running your fingers over your stitches. While it hurt to laugh, all the Monster food from today did a great job of keeping anything from hurting too much. Your chest stopped hurting too, after you first ate a few spider doughnuts. You idly rubbed your chest at the thought, wondering what it was. Maybe stress build up?

"You okay pal?" Sans asked quietly, looking between your hand and your face. You hummed, patting his cheek slowly.

"I'm good. Just wondering about stuff." You resumed rubbing small circles on your chest, eyes closing slightly in thought. Didn't stress build up go to your skull or something? Or was it your back?

"Is your SOUL feeling all right?" Papyrus questioned, moving his arm to hover above your chest.

You furrowed your eyebrows in thought, looking over at him. "My what? Soul?" You glanced between them, noticing Alphys and Undyne had overheard and were looking over too.

"Yeah, punk," Undyne scratched her cheek, looking... uncomfortable? "Everyone has a SOUL. Your's was probably not feeling too hot after what that shit for brains did to you."

"Is that why my chest felt so constricted?" You laid your hand over your chest, remembering what it felt like when you had woken up- and before, even, when Chance had been hurting you. Your chest had felt so constricted and like it was on fire; you had honestly thought it had been your lungs from screaming and crying so much. The way he had cut your stomach and broke your bones, you felt it grow tighter and tighter-!

Sans gently rubbed a hand on your shoulder, snapping you out of your thought process. "Hey, you're okay. It's okay pal. Nobody is ever going to hurt you again, okay? You're safe at home with all of us. Just breathe pal. In and out." You shakily nodded, noticing your hand on your chest had turned from a flat palm to a tight fist; slowly easing it back into a palm again with each deep breath.

Undyne shifted in her seat as Alphys looked over at you with growing worry. "D-Does it hurt now? Sh-should we... t-take a look at it?" Sans snapped a look at her with such force that surprised you- almost as much as Papyrus quickly, but gently, pulled you closer to him.

"They don't understand the implications that you're asking them, Alph," Sans replied smoothly, rubbing his thumb over your hand. You frowned slightly, seeing Alphys squeak and flinch back against Undyne- who bared her teeth at Sans- and squirmed in your laying spot against Papyrus.

"I-I _don't_  understand, Sans, you're right; so maybe you guys could explain it to me?" You looked over at each one of them to get your point across, eyeing Sans a little longer to mentally tell him to chill.

He gave you a good long look before sighing, and motioned to Alphys for her to begin. She sat up a bit, clearing her throat nervously as she adjusted her glasses on her face. Undyne refused to let go of her, keeping a sharp eye on Sans. "W-well... l-like we said, e-everyone has a SOUL," She began quietly, wringing her hands together. "M-Monster SOULs and Human SOULs a-are quite different though."

"Yeah!" Undyne boomed, sneering a bit. "You humans are such shits! If a Monster doesn't want to fight, we get weaker, and our Defense drops! But if you guys don't want to, you're perfectly fine!" She growls angrily at the thought, hugging Alphys close like a stuffed animal. "It's such bullshit."

You frowned, tilting your head to the side. "Why does that happen?"

Papyrus perked up a bit, holding your cast covered hand. "Oh, that is simple friend! It is because Monsters are made up of love, compassion, and magic!" He smiled adorably, "Our emotions are attached to our magic- to our very SOULs! If we do not want to fight, our defenses will weaken because they are all attached." You nodded, humming. Made sense.

"What else is different?"

Alphys adjusted her glasses again, looking eager to share information. "O-oh, plenty of things! Wh-while Monster SOULs are pure white- a-and upside down- Human SOULs are coloured! A-and they can be all kinds of colours too!" She held up her claws as she called out each one. "Th-there's, uh, r-red, blue, l-light blue; y-yellow, orange, a-and purple. A-and sometimes even variations of those!"

Your eyes widen in awe. "That's really cool. Do you know why they're different? Or, maybe... what do they mean?" You gave an odd noise in your throat flushing. "I mean, what makes them different colours? Jeez."

Alphys giggled slightly, adjusting herself on Undyne's lap. "W-well, for humans, it's b-based on your highest attribute; b-basically like, um, those mood rings? O-only like a permanent colour." She taps her chin in thought. "F-Frisk, the human who saved us, w-was a red SOUL bearer. Th-they were r-really Determined. O-oh, uh, that's what red SOULs are, b-by the way. D-Determined."

You ignore the growing itchy feeling in your cast, furrowing your eyebrows. "Determined? Okay... do Monster's have these?"

"N-no, monster's s-souls are pure wh-white. We don't have the Human ability t-to have adaptations to them, a-as far as we know, anyways. Where we have magic, you have your defining t-traits th-that support you. It's what makes you all s-so powerful."

There was a sad tone that you caught in her statement, and you didn't push as you nodded. "All right, I think get it. So the colour of my soul will determine my... attribute? Could I see it?"

Sans gave you a look that you ignored, instead keeping your gaze on Alphys. She squirmed in her seat as Undyne tightened her arms around her. "I-If you don't have any issues wi-with it. U-uh, b-but, it's... r-really intimate for us M-Monsters..." She flushed, looking away. "W-we normally only show SOULs in a fight, o-or for... o-other things."

Ah, so _that's_  why Sans and Papyrus freaked out a bit. You snorted, giving them a crooked grin. "So long as you guys aren't uncomfortable with it. I think we all know the implications of what's going on here this time; we're just going to look at it and see if it's okay. Right?"

"Y-yes!" Alphys nodded, clasping her clawed hands together. Sans looked uncomfortable still, but Undyne and Papyrus looked rather eager.

"C'mon Sans, loosen' up. It's not like we're going to do anything." Undyne griped, laying her head on Alphys'. He sighed again, shaking his head, and turned to you.

"You sure about this pal? Like we said, it's rather... personal." You moved your free hand to grasp his, giving it a light squeeze.

"I'm all right with it. I'm not near anyone who's going to hurt me. I know all of you. It's okay." Your reassurances seemed to do something for him at least, as the tension around his eye sockets eased slightly, before turning to Papyrus.

"Why don't you do the honors, bro?"

Papyrus sat up eagerly, excitement written clearly on his face. "Oh yes! I would love to!" He quickly moved to get you some more pillows to prop you up, ignoring Undyne's groaning of her wanting to do it.

Once you were sitting up against a small tower of pillows, Papyrus squatted in front of you and hovered his hand in front of your chest. "Please do be aware that this might feel like... a tugging sensation on your chest. Do not be alarmed! It is normal."

You gave a nod, and relaxed your body, allowing him to do his work. Papyrus curled his hand slightly, and you felt a hard- but not painful- tug on your chest, before something popped from it; causing you to take a deep breath of relief.

"Th-that wasn't so... bad..." You stared at the small, happily glowing heart shaped thing that was hovering in front of your chest. It had a transparent glass-like outer shell that held in a bright, cheerful orange colour- mixed with a bit of red and yellow that came up in flecks and curls. You slowly moved your hand underneath it, feeling like it was practically beating in your hands; feeling warm and comforting.

As you brought it closer, you noticed... thin but heavy scratch marks on the glass surface; like something was trying to break into it. It was a little hard to see past the glow, though. You probably wouldn't have noticed it if you weren't inspecting every little part.

"O-oh, my god," Alphys stuttered, staring at your SOUL in surprise. The other's were slack jawed as well, and you couldn't help but feel embarrassed at their looks- like your privacy and modesty were being stripped away underneath their gazes. Your SOUL came closer to your chest at the thought, snapping everyone out of their daze.

"D-Date-Friend, oh my god!" Papyrus was burning red as he looked away shamefully, leaning away from you to give you space. "W-we are so sorry for staring! It is just... we have never seen anything like that! It is wonderful!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, their cheeks flushed as they looked away awkwardly. Your cheeks burned hotter than you could have imagined as you looked down, curling your hands protectively around your SOUL.

"'Never seen anything like it'?" You questioned, looking back up at them in worry. "Is there something wrong with it?"

Alphys shook her head wildly, moving closer to take a look- but staying at least a good foot away when she noticed Sans' warning gaze. "N-no, not at all! It's just... n-normally, human SOULs are a solid colour- a-at least, human children's SOULs are..." She paused, biting her lip before slowly holding out a clawed hand. "M-may I?"

You hesitated for one moment before slowly handing her your SOUL, depositing it in her claws, and watched as the previous flame like colours change to a brighter yellow at Alphys' touch. You felt like she was holding you around your waist as she held your SOUL.

You could feel a pounding wave of hesitance, wonder, and confusion from everywhere and nowhere at once; and suddenly, you felt like everything was going to snap, like her hands- though not even touching the hovering SOUL- could clamp up and squeeze you to death.

You both flinched from whatever was happening, and the yellow flames died down, replacing them with a whiter yellow that didn't look as vibrant from before. Quickly taking your SOUL back, you panted; trying to scoot away from everyone instinctively in fear. Alphys looked heavily worried and embarrassed, covering her snout as she stumbled through apologies.

You shook your head, focusing on breathing as the small, soothing beats from your SOUL helped calm you back down; blinking your eyes as your brain focused back into reality. Sans and Papyrus were asking Alphys what had happened while Undyne bared her fangs against Sans who was getting a bit heated; hiding a shaking Alphys behind her.

"G-guys," You called out, still trembling a bit. "Guys, i-it's okay. I'm sorry, I-I... I think that was my fault. I panicked."

Papyrus moved over close to your side, slowly rubbing reassuring and calming circles on your back. Undyne growled at Sans again, moving into the loveseat with Alphys on her lap, keeping their distance away from the shorter of the skeletons. He simply shook his head, moving to sit on your unoccupied side.

"Wh-what did I do, anyways?" You looked over to Alphys, who finally uncovered her snout, and shuddered a bit. "That felt really weird. Was that you?"

She nodded, wringing her hands together. "I-I believe so? I'm n-not... not fully sure what happened." She shifted on Undyne's lap, looking a bit tired. "W-we connected through your SOUL. B-but that doesn't usually... happen without..."

Her cheeks went pink as she avoided everyone's eyes, covering her face again.

You were only slightly confused- it must have something having to do with the 'other thing' involving SOULs for Monsters. "But if it doesn't usually happen, why did it? Why could we... do that?"

She shrugged, giving you an apologetic look. "I-I don't know! I've never seen a human SOUL connect so easily. I-I mean, we've only ever had seven to look over but..." She slapped her hand over her mouth, looking petrified. You furrowed your eyebrows as everyone in the room became tense.

"Seven? You mean the seven kids who fell down?" You tilted your head slightly, glancing at everyone's expressions. They were very uncomfortable.

"Alphys." Sans spoke, his eye sockets dimmed. From your position, it almost looked like they were completely dark. You quickly reached up and grabbed his sleeve, frowning as he stayed looking at Alphys.

"Sans, stop. It's okay. If I wasn't meant to hear it, well, it's kind of late for that." You shrugged slightly at Alphys, wincing a bit. "I mean, we all already knew seven kids went down there- and only one of them came back? It's obvious that over the years, they had to have... passed away."

Undyne sighed, running her hand through her hair aggravatingly. "That's... whatever. You're right." She sends you a look that you can't give a name to, though, and it pierces through you, as if she were looking directly at your SOUL instead. "Don't talk about this to anyone, all right? It's private for Monsters."

"Who would I tell?" You grinned, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "You guys are literally the only ones I talk to, now, so. I don't think you have to worry about that." You motioned to your body with a dry look. "Also, exhibit B. Can't really _go_  talk to anyone without any of you anyways."

Undyne snorted, shaking her head with a small grin. "Thanks. You're... thanks." You gave her a nod, mentally sighing in relief as most of the tension bled from the room. Sans and Alphys were still a bit tense, but seemed all right for the most part.

You turned back to your SOUL, bringing it closer to your face. "So, um... didn't you say that SOULs- or, human SOULs- were just one solid colour? Why is mine... flickering and changing like this?"

"Not sure, bud," Sans spoke, peering over at it. "Like we said, we've never seen that before. It could just be something that changes in human's over time."

"Or you're just _weird!_ " Undyne grinned wide, teasing you. You snorted, shaking your head.

"No, that can't be right, Undyne. _You're_ the weird one here."

"As if!" She jumped up from her seat- holding a squeaking Alphys in her arms- and quickly marched over; sitting in front of you while holding out her hand. "Give it here, I'll show you who's weird!"

"Undyne, that may not be a good idea..." Papyrus spoke, looking over at you worriedly. "They didn't react well to Alphys holding their SOUL. Maybe we should-"

"Ah, c'mon, I won't bite!" Undyne pouted, looking over you with begging eyes. "I wanna see if it changes colour for me too!"

You weighed your options in your mind, debating for a moment. You sighed and slowly handed her your SOUL, doing your best to keep your... more morbid thoughts from entering your brain.

She grinned wide as she held your soul, her usual brashness fading back as she carefully let it hover above her hands. You all watched as your SOUL changed colour once more, turning from the bright orange to a more hot red orange. Red over took any yellow that was previously there, like hot flames running over a grassy area.

You were filled with an excitement that wasn't your own- trying your best to keep from being overwhelmed. She- what you figured at this point to be all Undyne- was trying her best to keep calm too, but was too in awe and too curious to notice that her grip was tightening a bit.

"Dude, that's really fucking cool!" She paused for a moment before setting the SOUL to the ground- letting it hover up a few inches- before holding her hand next to it. The red orange followed over to the side where she held her hand, and slowly turned back to a regular orange when she moved it away. "That's so fucking _cool!_ "

You were shuddering from the explosive feelings that were constantly leaving and coming back in time with Undyne's hand, sighing in relief when she fully moved her hands away. The SOUL easily slid back over to you, now hovering over your lap. You tried your best to quell your shivers, but the hair on your body was raised slightly from the overdose of emotions.

"A-are you all right?!" Alphys squeaked as she took a look at you, reaching out in worry. Papyrus and Sans both came close, stroking your hand or shoulder to calm you down. You gave them a shaky grin, chuckling.

"I-I'm fine. Just... v-vibrating with excitement!" You chuckled again, letting one last shiver down your spine before sighing; finally feeling your body calm down. "That was... very weird. Please don't do that again."

Undyne huffed, rolling her eye. "Whatever you wimp. But that's freaking neat! How are you doing that? It's like a mood ring!"

You shrugged, taking deep breaths in time with your SOUL beats. It soothed you back to normalcy. "You don't know, I don't know. This is my first time seeing a SOUL in general..."

"I-I could probably run some tests on it, i-if you don't mind?" Alphys asked, wringing her claws together again. You looked up at her in surprise. "J-just to gauge to s-see what we're doing to you, a-and figure out _why_  you're reacting this way. It could h-help us better understand human SOULs in general!"

"I don't know Alphys," Sans interjected, the corners of his mouth tilting down a bit. "You sure that's wise?"

"I don't have a problem with it." You called out, giving a side look to Sans. What was up with him today? "It _is_  my SOUL. I want to know what it's doing too. And it'd be great if it helps you guys too."

"G-Great!" Alphys cheered, smiling wide. "W-we can set up a time and date later. I-I wouldn't mind seeing how it reacts to P-Papyrus or Sans though, if you feel all right still?"

"Oh, sure," You handed your SOUL over to Papyrus- who squeaked and turned bright red. You grinned, chuckling to yourself. "Go on, it's okay. I know you won't hurt me."

He gave an uncertain and hesitant glance to Sans- who simply gave him a thumbs up and a smile- before shakily reaching out to take your SOUL. You smiled softly, handing him to floating heart and shivered as his hands curled around it protectively, but carefully, as if it would shatter in an instant.

The moment his hands curled around it- leaving just enough space to see it change- the SOUL turned into a deep wine red colour that burst occasionally with flecks of orange. Your body melted as you sighed and relaxed against your pillow tower; feeling safe and at home in his hands. Your face felt hot, but you couldn't care less. You were at peace.

"D-D-Date... Date-Friend...?" Papyrus called out weakly, his bones clacking together in nervousness. You could feel it swirl in your SOUL slightly, but it was easily overrode by the peaceful feeling that naturally exude itself from the tall skeleton. He was pure red on his cheek bones, a sweep of something warm and bright colliding with a strong sense of embarrassment. "Th-this is... I... I-I don't quite..."

Alphys worriedly looked between you two- not that you could really tell as you were nearly asleep from the warmth that was Papyrus- and she reached out over to him to grasp his attention. "Y-you can set them down now, Papyrus- y-you don't have to keep holding them."

He shook his head slightly, hands tensing up as if to bring your SOUL closer to him, before reluctantly setting it down on your lap; a warm and loving look spread over his face as he stared down at you.

You shivered as the warmth trailed away- almost achingly slowly from Papyrus' reluctance to leave you- the comfortable at home feeling fading away with it. Your SOUL turned back to its original shade of oranges, reds, and yellows- but... you felt rather empty and alone without him holding you. You pouted slightly.

Undyne was trying extremely hard to choke back her laughter behind her hand, awe present in her wide eye, unable to fully hide her grin. "H-holy _shit_. Alph, did you _see_  that?! I've _never_ seen that before." She couldn't take it anymore, howling up a storm, and slapped Papyrus on his back. "Papyrus, congratu-fucking-lations, man. You and the human are a great match."

Papyrus shot up, stiffening more than a board of plywood at the comment; his bones clacking even louder than before. "M-M-MATCH?! B-B-BUT-!!" He covered his face behind his hands- doing a poor job without his large gloves- and you felt... slightly down. Did he not want to be a match? Whatever that even meant, anyways. You looked down at your SOUL with a frown when Sans nudged your arm lightly.

"You all right, pal?" He whispered, keeping an eye on the girls as they comforted an emotional Papyrus. He was blubbering and blabbering incomprehensible words; his bones clacking at an impossible rate.

"I... I don't know. Is being a match a good thing?" You looked up at him, frowning more. "Why doesn't he seem to like it? Is it bad?" You were stunned when Sans snorted and gave a loud, roaring laugh that wasn't quite as loud as Undyne's, but was still impressive for him.

"P-pal," He wheezed, holding his hand over his chest. "H-he's not upset about it. Don't sweat it. Being a match is a great thing- it means your SOULS would blend well together. Simply means you're close in our... relationship." You glanced back at your SOUL curiously before handing it over to Sans- who didn't seem at all phased by your actions.

"Don'tcha think you should take me out to dinner first, pal?" He joked, and you flushed at the implication, shaking your head.

"Already have, dork. You know very well what I mean." He chuckled and shook his head, lazily reaching out a hand to take your SOUL. You placed it in his hand, both of you shivering from the cool, calm feeling that swept over you both.

Your SOUL's flames were turned into a deep, royal purple at his touch. Your heart was thudding in your chest- b-bump, b-bump, b-bump- as his hand wrapped around your SOUL a little tighter; his eye sockets closing slightly in peace. Contentment swept over you both as you relaxed and sighed quietly.

Sans' touch left you feeling colder than Papyrus'- a nice, chilled breeze encasing your entire being with semi-relaxed emotions. Love, peace, safety, protectiveness, slight anxiety? You could feel it all. You started to feel your own excitement budding, and in turn, Sans cracked open an eye socket and grinned over in your direction. Could he feel that too?

"Look at those two nerds enjoying themselves."

Snapping your eyes over to Undyne, your face blushed crimson red as Undyne laughed her ass off; rolling on the floor and cackling madly. Alphys was staring in awe before looking away- gaze flustered and- slightly hopeful? Papyrus' jaw was slack, staring at you and Sans in surprise. You felt embarrassment creep down your body- and you think Sans felt it too, as he quickly handed you back your SOUL with a large flush on his cheek bones.

"Heh, sorry bud. Got a bit too comfortable." You shook your head, unable to speak properly, but curled your hands over your returned SOUL slightly. You immediately missed the airy feeling as it trailed off of you like rain; your SOUL feeling empty once more.

"Man, the looks of pure... _peace_  on your faces," Undyne snickered as she sat back up, wiping a tear from her eye. "Priceless. But I gotta say, never seen anyone able to be compatible with more than one Monster. Not even another Monster from the Underground."

The cheeky look she gave you was dutifully ignored as you looked over at Papyrus. "How do I put this back in, Paps?"

He snapped out of his daze, clearing his non-existent throat loudly, before motioning to your chest. "I-I spare you, Date-Friend. You sh-should be able to return your SOUL back inside now. Just push it against your chest."

You gently pushed your SOUL against your chest, feeling no resistance as it slid back in with ease; blinking your eyes rapidly as previously removed colours filled your vision again. Huh. You hadn't even noticed.

"I think that's enough excitement for one day," Sans nodded to himself, stretching and laying down on his spot on the make-shift bed. You nodded yourself, covering your mouth as you yawned. Wow, you were suddenly exhausted.

"O-oh, yes, it's rather late now," Alphys chewed her lip, looking over at the wall clock. "W-we can decide a test date later. I-I wonder if Toriel wouldn't mind us borrowing Frisk for comparisons...?"

"Toriel is Frisk's...?" You hedged, thanking Papyrus as he helped you settle back down from your leaning position on the pillow tower.

"Mother," Sans supplied, snuggling closer to your side. "Tori's the ex-Queen, and she took in Frisk after everyone was freed. They're great people; you should meet'em sometime." You smiled softly and nodded.

"I'd like that."

Alphys clapped her claws, looking cheery and excited. "Oh god, you could meet King Asgore too! I-I'm sure you'd love to meet him too!"

Undyne cheered, grabbing and throwing Alphys into the air before catching her, and moving down to their side of the make-shift bed. "Hell yeah! Oh man, you're going to _love_ Asgore- all of them! Asgore's the best though; he's such a teddy bear."

You chuckled at the thought- a teddy bear King. Now that would be adorable. You were excited to learn about them and meet them all. Papyrus laid down next to you, and shifted a bit before laying his arm over your chest to reach over to Sans as well. You smiled at him sweetly before pecking his teeth, causing him to squawk in surprise.

"Goodnight guys," You murmured, snuggling into your soft blankets and warm pile of skeleton bones. Everyone murmured their own good nights back as everyone drifted off; a warm, eager feeling filling your chest.

Life was going to get better. You could feel it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a "Lost Soul" game on my Tumblr if you guys want to check it out. It's not done yet- so feel free to join! But do it soon; it's super close to being done.  
> Go to my tags and search "LOST SOUL" "SAVE GAME" to find it. You can find the first one also by looking up "Long post sorry" in the tags- it has the rules on there. :3  
> \---  
> If you guys want to make fanart, feel free! (They make me cry ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) so be prepared for tears.)
> 
> Send them to:  
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301
> 
> Also!  
> Feel free to go to my Tumblr for fanfic updates- under the tag "Fanfiction Update". It'll make it a lot easier for me and you guys to know what's up, since I can't just post an author's note on here.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your Best Nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small interlude! I'm upset with my past self never actually thinking about how _torture_ would affect someone mentally. Bad Kaged.
> 
> Extremely short, but a little heart warming, I think.  
> \-----

It was a peaceful day. Very calm, very beautiful. The sun was shining, and birds were even singing- you took note that they must have returned early for spring.

It was the perfect day for a walk around town.

You were taking a walk with Sans and Undyne, and you were simply enjoying the day. It was so beautifully sunny and bright, with a small chilly breeze every once in a while.

You took a deep relaxed breath, letting the fresh air fill your lungs. Sans gave you a side glance and chuckled, taking hold of your hand.

"You having fun there, bud?" You flashed him a wide grin that could rival Undyne's, excitedly nodding your head.

"Hey there you three! Any hope of you guys wanting a Nice Cream today?" The blue Nice Cream guy chimed from a little ways ahead of you, waving cheerfully. You waved back, tugging Undyne and Sans along.

They laughed at your excitement, taking you over to the Nice Cream bunny, grabbing three Nice Creams for each of you.

You were about to take the Nice Cream from Sans when laughter- maniacal, horrifying, and spine-chilling laughter filled the air. You whipped your head around to find who was making that god awful noise when you noticed the area had gone dark.

Complete black filled your vision; everyone around you having vanished without a trace. You tried to talk- to call out for anybody!- but your voice wouldn't work. It was as if someone had cut out your voice box.

"Hey, Shorty," A voice called out from behind you, causing you to cry out in silent fear, whipping your head back around to see them.

You saw nothing but the same darkness surrounding you.

"Aw, what's wrong Shorty? You missing your _pals_?" The voice cooed sickeningly sweet in your ears, coming from all directions now. You started to tear up, confused. Wasn't he gone? Where was everyone? They were just here!

"Why don't you take a look around? Look at my finest work to date," The voice paused, as if thoughtful, and chuckled darkly. "Well. Besides _you_ , of course."

You shut your eyes and tried to block out the voice, but he kept coming through no matter what. Your vision changed to a brighter area, but it was only an illusion. You held back a scream of horror as clothes and dust surrounded your feet.

Undyne's clothes, Sans', Papyrus', Alphys'- everyone's dust and clothing surrounded you. You covered your mouth as you held back the urge to vomit, falling to your knees, and disturbing the dust around you.

"Isn't it beautiful?" The voice cooed again from behind you, and you choked back a sob; unable to stop staring at Papyrus' scarf, or Sans' hoodie. "I did this all for _you_ , Shorty. So we could be together again."

A hand placed itself on your shoulder and turned you around to face a smiling Chance, at the age of eight. His voice was different now, matching the age that he looked like. "Isn't it the best, Shorty? We can be together again now! Just like the old days!"

"I-I," You choked, shaking your head vehemently. "I-I don't _want_ this!" Young Chance frowned, looking terribly sad.

"Aw, but Shorty!" He whined, holding on to your hands pleadingly. "I missed you! You were my best friend! I could never meet anyone else better than you! It was always _you_!"

You kept shaking your head, trembling, and found you couldn't move your arms anymore. "L-Let me go! Ch-Chance, I d-don't want this! _Stop!_ "

He sneered suddenly, turning to age fifteen. "Why won't you play with me anymore, Shorty? I thought we were friends! I was always there for you- why aren't you there for me when _I_  need you?!"

You kept trembling- your entire body shaking with sobs and whimpers as Chance's grip tightened. "S-stop... please..."

"You're so selfish!" He cried out, gripping you harder. You cried out in pain, trying in vain to tug yourself away. "Why can't I have you all to myself like you had me?! That's not fair! You weren't supposed to have other friends! _I_  was your best friend!"

"That's not fair!" You cried out finally, lowering your head to the floor. "You left me! You stayed away long after your sentence! You didn't come _home!_ " You stared up at the now twenty-eight year old Chance with frustration and grief. "You didn't come _home_."

"You weren't at home, Shorty!" He shoved you against a wall, causing you to scream in pain. It was like ice being pressed up harshly on your back. "I went home and you weren't there! What was I supposed to do?! I couldn't find you!"

"I w-waited there for _years!_ " You screeched, fighting back against the pain, against his iron grip. "YOU were the one who never showed! I couldn't stay there after they kicked me out! Why didn't you check any of our hiding places?!"

Chance snarled in rage, gripping your wrists painfully tight, face up against yours. "Don't you _dare_  talk to me that way."

You bit your lip, opening your previously closed eyes, and _glared_  at him. "D-don't _you_  order me around!" You reeled your head back and smashed your forehead against his, causing blinding pain to ache in your head. A pained cry came out from Chance's mouth, sounding warbled and not like him at all.

"I'm not five anymore, Chance!" You reached back with your fist and swung, knocking him in the jaw. "I'm not _twelve_  anymore, either!" Another fist, another swing. Your body felt so heavy like lead, but you forced your body to move as much as it could. "I'm... not... LISTENING TO YOU ANYMORE!"

With one final swing, you faked him out and grabbed his shirt, throwing him to the ground; panting desperately for air. Tears tickled the sides of your face, but you didn't care. Your body trembled from all your grief and anger and sadness, but you didn't care.

You simply stared down at Chance, who was looking up at you in fear. You grit your teeth and curled your hand into a fist.

"You're not my _friend_  anymore."

A shattering sound resounded throughout your head, and you gasped for air as your eyes flung open, flailing around wildly as your brain tried to catch up with your surroundings.

"H-hey, punk, calm the fuck down!" Undyne called out, catching a wrist in her hand as it flung her way. You squealed in fear and pain, tugging your hand back in desperate movements.

Papyrus carefully pinned you down on the bed, frowning worriedly as his right eye glowed a warm and bright orange. "Please friend, you must calm down. You are all right."

You panted heavily, looking around spastically for him- but nobody came. Everyone looked down at you in worry and concern, but _he_  wasn't there. You were safe. You were fine. He was gone.

You shuddered as tears pricked the corners of your eyes, your tired and sore body falling limp against the ground. Undyne gently set your arm down as Alphys moved closer to smooth back your hair from your sweat and tear covered face.

Sans was quietly stroking your cast covered arm, while Papyrus smoothed his fingers over your cheeks. "It is all right friend. You are safe."

"Y-you're n-n-not de-ad..." You croaked out, eyes filling with new tears. They weren't dead. They weren't piles of dust. They weren't just clothes. They were fine, and you were fine, and-!

You reached up to pull Papyrus into a hug, pulling him close and tight. He gave an odd noise of surprise before hugging you back; rubbing your shoulder blades softly.

"You dreamed we were dead?" Undyne asked, eyes wide in surprise. She tilted her head back with a bark of laughter- one so different from _his_  that made you relax easily- and she slapped her knee. "Pssh! As if, punk; you aren't getting rid of us so easily!" She rubbed her forehead, which you could barely see in the dark, where a dark mark was made. "You sure have a hard ass head though."

You flushed as you realized- you must have been flailing around in your sleep and bashed your head against her.

Alphys wrung her claws together in a nervous fashion, nodding rapidly. "Y-yes! We do n-not intend on leaving you! E-ever!" She smiled brightly, patting your knee carefully. "Pl-please do not think about those kinds of things. W-we would never leave you behind."

"H-he," You stuttered, burying your cheek against Papyrus' collar bone. "H-he ki-killed you..."

Sans shook his head, scooting closer to you to squeeze your bicep. "No, he didn't. We're all right pal. We aren't leavin' ya. No biting the dust any time soon; we promise."

"That's how you know it is true!" Papyrus called out in joy, leaning back to see your face. You sniffled and peered up at him. "Sans does not enjoy making promises! So! There you have it."

Sans chuckled, giving a nod. "It's true."

Undyne snorted, rolling her head around to ease the tension in her body. "Giant nerds. So, do you... need anything? Do you just wanna talk for a bit, or do you think you can go back to sleep?"

You clung close to Papyrus, a frown marring your face. "S-sorry f-f-for waking y-you... Y-you can g-go back t-t-to sleep..."

Undyne groaned, shaking her head. "I asked _you_ , punk! I don't care."

Alphys patted her leg consolingly, and rubbed her tired eyes. "Don't worry about us, f-friend. W-we just want to make s-sure you're o-okay." She hesitated a moment before asking, "D-do you want t-to talk about it?"

You shook your head, clinging tighter to Papyrus. No, you didn't want to revisit it. You didn't want to think of him. But...

"...I-I t-told him that w-we... w-we weren't best f-friends anymore..." You looked up to Alphys, a smaller frown on your face. But she gave a happy look in returned, reaching over to squeeze your hand.

"O-oh, I-I'm so proud of you! Th-that takes a l-lot of strength to do!" She wiped her eye as they began to grow misty, leaning over against Undyne. Her girlfriend grinned wide as she pulled Alphys into a side hug before beaming at you.

"Heck yeah! Takes a lot of guts to face your fears like that- and do stuff you don't want to. Did you beat the shit out of him? Is that why you head butted me? I wanna do that!" Her grin turned menacing, but it only made you laugh.

"Y-yeah," You nodded, giving a half smile. "I-I p-punched him, a-after.. h-head butting him." Undyne 'whooped' happily, fist pumping in the air. You could tell she was proud of you too, despite- or even for- the injury. She was so weird, you thought with a grin.

"I do not condone you doing a violence, friend," Papyrus chided before pushing his teeth against your tender forehead softly. "But I shall let this one slide." Your cheeks grew warm, and you couldn't hold back a laugh. Let Papyrus have a saying of "Don't do a violence" or something along those lines.

Sans squeezed your bicep again, giving you a lazy smile. "'m proud of you, pal. Good job." You bobbed your head, throat tightening a little from all the praise.

"I think a celebration is in order!" Undyne called out with a wide grin. "A celebratory sleep!" You chuckled as she pulled Alphys down to the bed again, stretching out with a pleased sigh. Alphys only squeaked and turned bright red as her girlfriend cuddled her close like a stuffed animal.

"Yes, I believe you require more rest, Date-Friend." Papyrus "kissed" your forehead again before laying on his side; Sans moving to lay down on his side of you as well. They clung close; nuzzling your cheeks and gently petting your hair. It eased you into a relaxed state, and you were happy to find bright and cheery flowers and sunshine waiting for you in your sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This won't be the only time Reader will have a nightmare about the happenings, but it will get easier over time. It will take a while before they get any better.
> 
> If you guys want to make fanart, feel free! (They make me cry, so be prepared for tears.)
> 
> Send them to:  
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301
> 
> Also!  
> Feel free to go to my Tumblr for fanfic updates- under the tag "Fanfiction Update". It'll make it a lot easier for me and you guys to know what's up, since I can't just post an author's note on here.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get test stuff done with Alphys before meeting a new, tiny friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited! 2k words longer, with you being in a wheelchair. Nifty :D  
> Also, some SOUL stuff changed. Still figuring out exactly where I'm wanting that to go, but, I'll figure it out eventually.  
> I hope.  
> \-----

Another month of being waited on and helped around the house by your close nit group passed on without a hitch. Muffet came by to check up on you- sweetly giving you a fresh cup of spider cider before leaving to go back to work. Your boss, Wyrn, visited shortly with a stern look to you and the brothers- before patting your head and telling you to rest up and get better soon.

You had a feeling he wanted a talk later. You repressed a small shudder of fear at the thought.

Alphys and Undyne came by regularly, always making sure to take you out for walks in the wheelchair to get you some fresh air whenever you felt restless. They were... a mix of relaxing and heart attack inducing, whenever Undyne pushed your wheelchair. She went a little crazy a few times when testing your chair's speed, and nearly crashed more than a few times.

Papyrus and Sans hardly ever let you out of their sights nowadays, but that was fine. You honestly would rather they be nearby, but you didn't want to ask, considering they still had jobs to work for. They couldn't be there all the time, but when they were there, it was spent relaxing and enjoying each other's presence. You made sure to kiss them near excessively to show your appreciation for their presence, and you always enjoyed making them flush.

Your physical therapy had been rough, but was progressing well. Toe and finger bones, you found out, took forever to heal. You probably wouldn't be walking normally for a while, but that was all right. Your friends always made sure your wheel chair was comfortable at all times; covering the seat with a fluffy pillow and giving you a few blankets. Alphys fixed it up more than once to make the wheels glide easier, and gave you a moving stick to move it around with. It was really impressive with how she made it so quickly.

Finding out that majority of the (much smaller) monster hate groups disbanded when HPP was caught nearly made you weep with joy, though. Monster supporters grew larger and larger with each passing day, and the future honestly looked brighter than ever. Everyone had celebrated over at New Grillby's- which, as the name implied, was rebuilt over the last two months from the attack, and was shinier and pleasant looking as ever.

Grillby had come over to your table personally- he had hired new employees to help with his newer, much larger bar (though the remodeling literally only made it bigger and added a few more tables, and extended the bar), to thank Sans and Papyrus for helping him the night it was ruined. He also turned to you to place a flaming hand on your shoulder, a comforting feeling of "I hope you get better soon". You had simply patted his hand and gave him a wide smile in thanks.

With everything having winding down, though, you began to notice the way people stared at you- now more than ever. You were unable to just hide behind your thick clothes to cover your scars anymore, now that they littered your face as well. You were a bit self conscious over them, but your friends always made sure to tell the person off, or compliment your looks for the day when they noticed your somber state.

Late in the middle of the night after waking up from a night terror of Chance (again), you always seemed to find yourself staring at something reflective to see your face- or found yourself tracing your scars. In the beginning, they disgusted you. Chance would always be a part of your life now, no matter how much you healed. But you began making new memories with each one whenever your friends gushed- specifically Alphys and Undyne, the nerds- over how badass you looked.

It was really hard to not think negatively about them, if you were being entirely honest. You definitely had your days of wanting nothing more than to just stay alone in bed, but Sans and Papyrus never let you wallow alone. They always prepared a warm drink, sat with you, and read to you when you mumbled out that you hadn't wanted to sit in silence anymore.

Today, however, you were dropped off at Alphys' for a check up on your SOUL, and a short physical therapy session. The therapy was knocked out first, and soon enough, you were in her check up room, sitting on a table in front of the small lizard woman.

She danced back and forth, pausing only to let you know that she was bringing out devices that might trigger you. She was extremely careful about that nowadays, ever since the popper incident.

Setting up her technology all around you, finally reached forward and pulled out your SOUL; letting the bright orange, red, and yellow hues glow over every surface. You had to squint in order to see past them, taking note this time around that, yes, the room was now washed out of colour; instead now black and white. Odd.

"O-oh, my!" Alphys chittered, her tail swinging back and forth excitedly behind her. "Y-your SOUL is v-very bright today! I-I assume you are having a good day?" You nodded with a small smile, gripping the table beneath you as she brought over some sticky squares to place on your SOUL.

"Yeah, today's been pretty good. Papyrus made a great breakfast before dropping me off, and everything's been... really calm." You let a more peaceful smile slide over your face, feeling relaxed. "I'm enjoying it compared to all the running around I had to do before I met you guys."

"O-oh, I'm sure!" She mumbled something to herself before flicking on a large screen, your SOUL popping up on it. It showed small but bright pulses coming off of it every few beats of your heart. You smiled at the sight; it was very relaxing to watch.

Walking over after scratching on her notepad for a moment, she reached out to grasp your SOUL, watching the monitor behind her. As the SOUL grew more and more yellow, the monitor showed that large flecks of yellow were being sucked into the SOUL.

"Wh-?" Alphys squinted at the screen, bringing your SOUL closer to it as she walked over. She reached out to grab some papers that were constantly being written on and sliding out of another machine, looking rather surprised. "I-I don't believe that... is that even possible?"

"Alphys? Everything okay?" You were starting to get nervous, and it showed on your SOUL and on the screen. The large flecks of yellow began bouncing off, and your SOUL began losing some shine. Alphys squeaked, coming back over to your side.

"N-no- I-I mean, y-yes, everything is fine!" She handed you back your SOUL for a moment, running back over to the paper ejecting machine. "I-it's just... th-this should be impossible. Y-your SOUL is... taking in some of my magic at my touch!" She snapped her eyes over at your SOUL, frowning a bit. "B-but that should be impossible, w-we haven't seen anything like that before!"

You squirmed uncomfortably on your 'seat', wincing as your side sent pain shooting up your body at the motion. "Is that... a bad thing?"

Alphys chewed on her bottom lip, reading over the papers rather fast. "I don't see any notes saying this is affecting your SOUL negatively... so for now, I believe it's fine. But..." She frowns further, adjusting her glasses. "I will have to report this to Asgore. I-I may not be the Royal Scientist anymore, b-but it's important to have him know. O-oh, and maybe T-Toriel too..."

You nodded, even though she wasn't really looking at you anymore; burying herself in the papers (that were still coming out from the machine). You'd assume that everything would be mentioned to the King and... ex-Queen? It made sense after all.

Alphys moved to her table, jotting down notes aggressively on her notepad- filling up at least a good five pages before looking back up to your SOUL. "I wonder if it would have an effect near humans. You don't have any magic anymore, according to history books I've brushed up on, but I wonder if you'd give a reaction similar to ours."

"Do you think it's because of your magic that it causes my SOUL colour to change?" You ask, chewing your lip. It was back to its normal orange mixed state; the yellow having died down a while ago.

"I-It's quite possible, yes." She padded over, holding out her hand to hover next to your SOUL; the hand glowing a palm-width yellow that crackled with electric like energy. You looked up at the monitor, jaw dropping as even larger yellow spots were flung into your SOUL.

You shuddered from the feeling, your SOUL turning a bright, sunny yellow. Alphys' magic felt light pure energy running through your veins; sending small shocks every once in awhile. It was a mix of wet and warm that you couldn't really identify- and quickly put up your hand to stop after a minute.

You leaned over and tried your best to catch your breath when Alphys pulled away, your SOUL shaking slightly. The paper ejecting machine was spitting out paper at a rapid rate, the monitor screen showing numbers that broke the previous stats of when she simply held your SOUL.

Alphys rushed around; writing everything down into her notepad as you groaned slightly from your leaning position; your stomach and sides not really appreciating your sudden movement. With no small amount of pain, you pushed yourself back up straight, wincing.

"This is amazing!" Alphys chattered quickly, hopping back and forth between the paper machine and the monitor. "Your SOUL completely accepted my magic and used it as a crutch. What did it feel like? Tell me every detail!" She rounded over to you, glasses glinting from the sunlight. You sweat dropped slightly, leaning back from her excitement.

"U-uh... well. Warm and wet? Uh," You scratched your head, trying hard to think. "Your magic feels like electricity, really. It began to get weird though, near the end."

"Weird how?" She was still scratching away as she asked, and you couldn't hold back a chuckle at her focused state.

"I'm not sure. It just... became too much for me to handle, I guess." You took your SOUL into your hands, noting that the previous scratches seemed... less. As if one of them were missing. You noted you felt a bit better than normal as the yellow faded much slower from your SOUL.

"This is wonderful information, thank you so much!" Alphys practically glowed, nearly breaking the paper on her notepad more than once from her speed writing. She padded over to her writing table- opposite to the one you were placed on- and sat down; still furiously writing away.

As you looked down at your half orange SOUL, you made sure to count the number of scratches on the surface of the glass shell this time. There were seven long scratches down and across the glass- one of them much longer and wider than the others. It made you wonder how they got there, and why you felt one was missing.

 _'Maybe Alphys' magic healed me?'_ You pursed your lips in thought, glancing over at the scientist. She was fiddling away with a few machines, back turned to you. You let a soft smile over your face before turning back to your SOUL. _'More than likely, I think. Good to know. Maybe next time, I can get someone else to try it.'_

After a good ten minutes of Alphys writing down every possible thing she could think of, she came back around and stripped the patches off your SOUL and pushed it back inside of your chest. You took a moment to blink rapidly as your vision filled with colour once more- feeling... more whole than normal.

"All right, s-so, what I've noticed so far," Alphys started, flipping back to the very beginning of her notes. "It reflects how you feel, and how other M-Monsters make you feel from their magic. Too much at one time causes a bit of an overload issue, b-but seeing as you're a Human, I-I'd think that to be normal.

"The magic intake ability you have seems to be something new, though. I don't think I've ever seen- or even heard of- it before. I can't say if it's just you or not without someone to compare it to." She sighed slightly before giving you a bright smile. "B-but! We've learned a lot today alone! I'm pretty happy about that!"

"I am too," You nod, giving a wide grin of your own. Learning a lot could help them in the future. Who knows what your 'magic intake ability' could really be doing to you? You wondered if you were ever thoroughly injured like before that it could help to some extent. You were reluctant to find that out any time soon, however.

"It's very interesting to see how adult h-human SOULs differ from ch-children's," Alphys mused aloud, tapping her chin. "We never saw any child that came d-down have their SOUL change colours. I really do w-wonder if it's an adaptation, or i-if it's just you."

You paused for a moment, frowning a bit. "I still can't believe that seven children ran over to Mount Ebott on their own without anyone bothering to stop them. How do you just let a child run all the way to a supposedly cursed mountain all on their own?"

Alphys looked saddened, nodding. "Y-yes, I have wondered about that myself." She hesitated before looking around the obviously empty- save the two of you- lab room before leaning in close. "I-I... I heard that the first fallen child fell down for a rather... unsavory reason."

"The first?" You furrowed your eyebrows. "Why do you know about the first?"

Alphys gave a small whine in her throat, dancing in the spot nervously. She dashed over to the door, locking it firmly, and pulled down a blind cover over the small window to hide the room. She came back over slowly, tapping her claws together in a nervous fashion.

"Th-the first fallen human- n-no, wait; y-you have to promise you can't t-tell anybody you heard this from me!" Alphys begged, clasping her hands together. They stayed that way until you nodded, going back to tapping against each claw. "Th-the first fallen human was adopted b-by Asgore and T-Toriel."

You reeled your head back in surprise. "What?"

Alphys nodded rapidly, moving to grab a chair to sit in. "Y-yes! Th-they weren't r-really bitter after everything happened with th-the barrier- a-after a few millennia of course- b-but everyone had gone to... a p-peaceful state. Wh-when they- I-I can't remember their name or gender right now, b-but- when they fell down, Asriel, the King and Q-Queen's son, found them injured by th-their fall in the mountain."

She took a deep breath before continuing, "Asriel b-brought them back to the Castle, where he and his parents lived. A-and, over t-time, the two b-became like siblings, a-and Asgore and Toriel t-treated the human like their own." She smiles wistfully at the thought, as if reliving beautiful memories. You could only imagine what it must have been like.

Her wistful smile soon turned into a sad frown, and you could feel your heart preemptively clench for what was about to come. "B-but... one day, th-the human fell ill..." She sighed, leaning her head down. "Th-they only had one request- t-to see the flowers from their village. B-but there wasn't a-anything we c-could do, considering..."

"The barrier," You finished, frowning solemnly. What a horrible thing to happen, not getting your final wish before death. She nodded, wiping an eye.

"A-and, the next day, th-they died." You shook your head slowly, gripping the front of your shirt. That must have been awful. "Asriel w-was so distraught, h-he absorbed th-their SOUL."

"Wh-what?" You blinked, horribly confused. "Absorbed?"

"Y-yes... M-Monster's can absorb Human SOULs- a-and humans can absorb Boss M-Monster SOULs." She adjusted her glasses again, shaking her head. "I-It doesn't... it doesn’t turn out well." You nodded, narrowing your eyes in thought, but kept quiet.

"H-he transformed, a-and gained... a lot of p-power." She looked nervous at this point, but kept going; eyes periodically shifting around to make sure no one else but you heard her. "H-he stepped past the barrier with the human's b-body, walking a-all the way to the village."

"Wait, how did he cross the barrier?" You furrowed your eyebrows, frowning. "Why couldn't the rest of you leave?"

She wrung her hands together, sighing. "Y-you needed two S-SOULs to do it. O-one human, a-and... one monster. I-it was th-the only way to cross." She gave you a pleading look. "Pl-please no more questions?"

You nodded, realizing she was probably telling you way more than she was supposed to, and kept your mouth shut. But you had to wonder- how did Frisk get passed with everyone else?

Did they take a SOUL? But... then why did all the Monsters revere them?

"He soon r-reached the centre o-of the village, a-and set the human's body on a l-large patch of golden flowers." She turned away slightly, fear flashing in her eyes. "B-but... screams came from a-all over, a-and the villagers saw Asriel's form, holding on t-to the human. Th-they thought _he_ had killed the child."

She reclined into her chair, looking spent just from the story. You could relate, feeling tired and sad. "They attacked him with e-everything th-they had, and h-he took it. A-Asriel could have destroyed them a-all, b-but... he didn't.

"H-he simply smiled, took the human, a-and walked away." She breathed in, wiping her eyes again. "H-he was heavily w-wounded though, as h-he stumbled home. Wh-when he crossed back o-over, h-his dust... his dust spread over the garden in the throne room."

You covered your mouth to stay quiet, unable to keep some tears at bay. "W-we, th-the kingdom, f-fell into despair. W-we lost all hope, b-because the h-humans had taken e-everything from us, a-all over again.

"H-having lost b-both children i-in one night, Asgore was filled with rage and grief, a-and declared war." She sniffled, rubbing her face a bit. "E-every human d-down there was to die, s-so we could u-use their SOULs to b-break the barrier."

"That's awful!" You cried out, clutching your necklace. You couldn't imagine what he must have gone through to want to kill _everyone!_ Especially after just losing your adopted human child!

Alphys simply nodded, closing her eyes. "Y-yes, n-not the best idea he had. T-Toriel was so upset with him over it that sh-she fled into the Ruins and locked herself a-away."

You frowned deeply, something that apparently caught Alphys off guard with her surprised look. "That... also wasn't smart. She didn't try to talk him out of it? Or... even try to stop it?" You shook your head, thumbing your necklace. "That's pretty stupid too. You can't just run away like that, he obviously needed to be told to not do something like that, but... I guess I understand that he probably wouldn't have listened."

Alphys gave a small chuckle, taking in a deep breath. "Y-yeah, you know, that's pretty t-true too. I-I know that too well-!" She squeaked, covering her mouth, but you merely waved it off.

"I don't want to know if you don't want to tell me. You've shared a lot today alone, so it's okay." You smiled brightly at her, clutching the edge of the table. "One thing at a time. It's okay."

She looked like she was going to tear up, turning around as she calmed herself down. "Th-thank you, ah," She flushed, peeking at you over her shoulder. "I-I'm always r-running my mouth, s-so... you'll p-probably find out eventually!"

You chuckled, shaking your head. "It's okay. I won't ask if you don't feel comfortable telling. It's getting pretty late anyways; I should probably head home."

"O-oh yes! L-let me help you with that!"

After Alphys helped ease you back into your wheelchair, you both moved to the foyer of her lab / home, a comfortable air around you both. Your mind wandered over to everything Alphys told you today, running it through your head at least a dozen times. It seemed no matter what history humans had, it always had some kind of bloodshed.

Alphys led you to the front door, jumping and squeaking after a moment. "Ohmygosh, I almost forgot! I-I'll be right back!" She dashed back into the lab, leaving you at the stairs. You fought a grin, failing, and chuckled. She was so spacey.

She soon rushed back in, handing you a rectangular, and slightly familiar, object. "Y-your new phone! I finally f-finished it last night, a-and planned on giving it to you today."

You took the sleek phone in your hands, marveling at the odd design, before flashing her a smile. "Thank you! You really didn't have to do this, though." She waved you off, smiling cheerfully in return.

"Don't m-mention it! I-I'm happy to m-make you something that can help y-you out." Taking the phone back gingerly from your hands, she quickly explained how it worked. After being told you had never had a phone in your life, she nearly fainted from shock, so you were thankful she was taking the time to explain it all to you.

"I-If anything ever happens to i-it, just l-let me know, and I'll f-fix it right away." You grinned, taking the offered phone back once more. Sliding it into your front pocket, you carefully leaned over to give the dino-lizard a hug before rolling out the door.

"Thanks again. I'll be sure to text you when I get home!"

"A-all right, have a safe trip!" You both waved to each other before you pushed the stick on your wheelchair forward, rolling away at a nice speed. It was a lot handier than pushing, if you were totally honest. You wondered if you should tell her to make a lot more of these for her to sell- you were sure other people needed something like this too.

The wet April air accompanied the warm, happy sun that cast its rays down onto the earth. As reluctant as you had been to go outside without a jacket or something to cover your scars- as it had been left at _his_ house and never returned- it was a bit cold underneath just your bandages and a tank top. You thought about going to buy more clothes, but shook off the thought as you reminded yourself that summer would be here soon enough.

The ride home was smooth and pleasant; and you sighed at the solitary atmosphere that surrounded you. Papyrus had dropped you off at Alphys', via his shiny hot rod, but had to go out with Undyne to help out with her coaching for the afternoon. Sans was busy with his own job, doing his best to keep all your half shared funds afloat.

You didn't mind though. It was a pleasant day for a 'stroll' to clear your head. You paused as you heard childish laughter ahead of you, and looked up from the ground to see a playground / park full of children- humans and monsters alike.

Carefully maneuvering your wheelchair around, you rolled on through the gate and stopped near an empty bench; smiling softly at the sight of children laughing and playing together. Feeling your phone vibrate in your pants, you reached down and quickly took it out; seeing Alphys had texted you to let you know she had shared your new number with everyone.

Slowly texting back, you sent your reply of "thank you" with silly smiley face before setting it back in your pocket; jumping in surprise as you noticed a small brunette child standing in front of you.

"O-oh," You blinked before giving a smile. "Hello. Did you need something?" They didn't reply, but smiled brightly up at you, making vaguely familiar hand motions this way and that. It seemed so familiar to the hand motions you used with Gaster, but... the symbols were vastly different.

"Uhh," You scratched the back of your head, not really knowing what to do. They seemed to understand your confusion, and quickly motioned to your pocket, where you placed your phone. "My cell phone?"

They nodded enthusiastically, quickly digging into their own pocket and showing off a very similar looking cell phone. There were a few differences- the size, the style, and the colour- but it was ultimately the same phone.

"Do you know Doctor Alphys?" You questioned, tilting your head a bit. The child beamed up in joy, nodding their head excitedly. You chuckled at their enthusiasm, scratching your cheek. "I do too- obviously. Uh, she actually just gave me my phone."

The child opened their phone, making fast typing motions on the keyboard before showing you the screen. _"I know you! My mother helped heal you a long time ago. My name's Frisk!"_

You blinked, eyes going wide at the- frankly adorable- message. "Your mother? Frisk? O-oh! You're _that_ Frisk?" They beamed again, and you could feel yourself starting to melt at their cuteness. They were a ball of sunshine. "Well, Frisk, it's really nice to finally meet you! I've been told a lot by Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys that you're quiet the hero!"

Frisk flushed brightly on their chubby cheeks, scuffing their shoe on the ground shyly, causing you to grin. What a modest little tyke. "Well, I want to thank you for what you did. Freeing those Monsters really helped me out in life." You reached out and patted Frisk's head gently, grinning when they gave out a loud breath noise and a smile- something you could only guess as a laugh.

Frisk quickly moved over to sit on the empty bench beside you and sat down, typing away on their keyboard. _"I've heard a lot about you too. Sans and Papyrus talk about you whenever I text them- Alphys and Undyne too! You're a hero too!"_

You flushed slightly at the adoring look they gave you, chuckling while rubbing the nape of your neck. "N-nah, it's nothing like you did kid. You liberated a whole species. That's pretty awesome."

Frisk puffed out their cheeks, typing even faster on their phone before shoving it to your face. _"No way! You continue to protect them, that's pretty awesome too!"_ You only snorted and shook your head.

"All right, all right. How about this; you and me are equal heros. Got it?" They nodded with a pleased smile on their face, wiggling closer to you to lean their head on your arm. Damn, they were just too cute for words. It didn't help that you had a huge soft spot for kids.

"Yo, Frisk! Who's your friend?" A little yellow lizard looking monster came running forward with a grin on their face- and you winced as they face planted in front of you. They easily stood back up after a moment- which was impressive as you noticed they didn't have arms- with the same grin on their face, though now accompanied by dirt. You gave him a wry grin, reaching out and over to dust off their face as you told them your name.

"Yo, that's really cool!" They commented, their tail wagging excitedly. You chuckled, leaning back in your seat, as Frisk made wide and wild hand motions towards the monster child. They gasped in response, and you couldn't help but wonder why the hand signs were so different from the ones that Gaster used.

"Oh, you're the cool person everyone talks about!" You flush at the comment as the child calls out to the other kids on the field, excitedly telling them all that you were a "cool superhero that protects monsters and humans". The children 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed, smiling brightly at you, and you grinned weakly in return.

One of the children, a human child, came up to your arm and looked at your bandages. "Why are you wearing those? Aren't you cold? Why aren't you wearing a jacket?" You chuckled at the rapid fire questions, patting the child's head.

"I'm wearing these because... it's a secret." You winked slyly, knowing it would really only entice the kids further, but you didn't exactly want to scare them off with your scars, They'd no doubt ask for- in detail- how you got them. "And I am a bit cold, but, uh... an 'evil' guy stole my hoodie. I haven't been able to get it back."

The children 'ooh'ed, and the first child puffed up his chest. "I know you can get it back! You just gotta beat the evil guy up until he gets it back!" He made kicking motions and punching motions while shouting before turning to you with a bright smile. The kids around him laughed good naturedly, and you couldn't hold back your own.

"W-well, I did, sort of. Wh-which is why I'm in this chair," You patted your wheel chair, wincing. "He, uh, beat me up pretty bad, so now I can't walk for a bit. But it's getting easier to move my legs again, so it's not too bad!" You scratched your cheek, looking away into the distance. "Plus, I can always just go buy a new hoodie. It's fine."

Frisk tugged on your shirt to gain your attention before showing you their screen, _"Sans and Papyrus could get you one. Why not ask?"_

You shook your head, giving them a smile. "Nah, it's all right. I've got my own money- they don't need to spend anything on me. Though they already have." You curled your lips up at Frisk's knowing smile. Seems you weren't alone in that boat.

The kids excitedly asked you questions about what it was like to fight the 'evil guys', and while you didn't want to exaggerate any, you knew they probably won't fully understand the truth until they were a little older.

"It's... scary," You murmured, smiling over at Frisk as they squeezed your hand. "Really, really scary. But someone's got to do it. And if I can, I'll do it. I'd rather get hurt than someone else."

A small flying monster in the back of the crowd whispered with a shaky voice, "You're really brave... I-I don't know if I could do that." You  flushed brighter as every kid agreed loudly, nodding their heads excitedly.

"O-oh, well, I mean..." You chuckled, grinning wide. "Thanks, kiddos. Just, uh, remember to _not_ do what I do. It's very dangerous, and I don't want to see any of you getting hurt, okay?" They all nodded, and you gave a sigh of relief. Hopefully they wouldn't get any ideas.

Your phone chimed in your pocket, and you quickly excused yourself from the kids discussion, and pulled it out; answering the phone. "Hello?"

 _"Hey pal, just checking in on you. How were those tests?"_ You smiled softly, adjusting the phone against your ear to hear better over the children's chatter.

"They were strange, but ultimately, it informed Alphys about a lot. I'm sure she'll want to fill you in later, if she hasn't already." You both chuckle before you saw Frisk waving out the corner of your eye, and gave them a smile. "Frisk is here with me in the park."

 _"Frisk?"_ Sans shuffled on the other side of the phone before chuckling. _"Didn't think ya'd meet the kiddo so soon. How're they doin'?”_

"They're trying to grab the phone away from me, currently," You snorted, playfully moving your wheel chair away just out of the reach of Frisk's grabby hands. You laughed when they pouted, moving your wheel chair back. "All right, all right, here."

Frisk fist pumped, making the hand motion of blowing a kiss from their chin, before taking the phone and put the receiver to their ear. They merely giggled- silently- or made hand motions. You wondered how in the world Sans was able to get anything from the kid, as they never talked.

You assumed magic, and stopped trying to hurt your brain overthinking it.

Eventually they handed the phone back with a grin, doing the same blowing a kiss motion as before. You chuckled before putting the phone back to your ear. _"Kid says they'd like you to join them for dinner tonight. They want to get to know their hero."_

You flushed brightly, giving Frisk a playful glare before ruffling their hair; causing heavy breathing noises to come from the child. "Sounds pretty good to me, I'll be there. Are you and Pap' coming to join us?"

Frisk looked so hopeful, you couldn't help but feel your heart squeeze with guilt. Knowing that they knew each other, you realized that they must not have gotten a lot of time to see each other, now that you entered the skeleton brothers and the girl's lives.

 _"Yeah, we'll be there. Be safe out there, all right?"_   You smiled, nodding affirmative to Frisk. They danced in their seat excitedly.

"I'll be fine. You get back to your work, lazy bones. I know you're taking another break." You teased, causing Sans to chuckle, before saying his goodbye. You exited the call before stuffing the phone back in your pocket, pausing when a kid in the group from before came back up to you, and tugged on your pants.

"E-excuse me, but, I was wondering if you'd like to play with us?" Your heart melted from the question and absolutely adorable cherub face, smiling widely before glancing over at Frisk.

"What time is dinner, kiddo?" They quickly typed their answer, giving a '1 hour' on the screen. You nodded, smiling back down at the small child, who was still clinging to your pants. "All right then, we'll join. What did you guys have in mind?"

"W-we have a ball!" They smiled brightly, showing his tiny teeth- where one of his front ones were missing. You could feel your heart completely melt even further. "We can p-play kickball, o-or soccer." Their face drooped slightly, looking back at your legs. "O-oh, wait. M-maybe some catch instead?"

Frisk quickly jumped off the bench and made slow hand motions to the child, causing him to smile wide again. "O-oh, okay! U-um, F-Frisk says they think you'd make a great catcher. Is that okay?"

You grinned, nodding. "So long as everyone gets to play if they want to." The child 'whooped!' excitedly, running back to his friends and telling them that you wanted to play. You laughed happily, motioning Frisk to follow you as you rolled over to them.

Everyone seemed to want to join in- and after introducing themselves- they all split off into teams. Frisk, Jonathan (the boy who tugged your pants), Harry, Loox, and Zephyr on one team, while you, Nathan (the boy who asked about your bandages), Lillian, Whimsun (the tiny flying monster), and Monster Kid on the other.

You were to pass the ball to your teammates and they would run all the way to the other end of the field- where there were lines marked with orange tape on either end- to score. Each team had a stipulation- yours must give the ball to you at least once, and the other team must pass to Whimsun at least once to score.

You started off the beginning, rolling your wheelchair back before tossing it to Lillian at your side, pointing forward for her to make a run for it. Loox swooped in about a quarter way through, stealing the ball before throwing it to Frisk; their eyes glinting in pure delight. They quickly handed it off to Whimsun- who squeaked as they grabbed it and weakly tossed it to someone else before flying back, afraid.

The ball didn't make it too far, landing in between Jonathan and Nathan, who both rushed forward to grab it; smacking into each other. The ball bounced by innocently, only stopping when Zephyr grabbed it from the ground before rushing over to the boys.

"Are you guys okay?" Zephyr asked, worriedly looking between them. They both chuckled and groaned, holding their heads. You quickly rolled on over, leaning down to asses their head injuries. You winced as you noticed a small bump on each of their heads.

"I think that's enough fun for you two for today," You mumbled, cupping their cheeks. They both pouted, but understood, and slowly got up from the ground to dust themselves off. Whimsun flew over and was crying, apologizing for hurting them with the ball.  
  
The boys calmed the poor distraught Monster easily, gently assuring them that it was an accident. MK went on about how cool it was with how they threw the ball, and Frisk simply gave them a sweet smile and a thumbs up. It wasn’t long until Whimsun had calmed down and sniffled to themselves; floating over to Lillian who held them close to her chest, sweetly humming a small tune. Seemed like they were close, you noted with a soft smile.

There was a call from the other side of the field, to the entrance of the playground / park, that had you all looking over. A few adults were waiting near the entrance, some giving a few encouraging waves.

"Looks like it's time to head in, kiddos," You mentioned, leaning back into your wheelchair. The kids groaned but listened anyways- not leaving without a hug from you and Frisk each. You were flattered that they all insisted on giving their 'cool new adult friend' a hug. It made you happy.

You awkwardly waved to the adults who were giving you strange looks, however. Guess you shouldn't have expected them to be so friendly with a scarred stranger playing with their kids.

"So," you drawled, looking over to Frisk. They looked up at you with a smile that had you grinning widely back. "Shall we head to your place?" They nodded excitedly, moving to your side where you didn't have your wheelchair stick, and grasped your hand firmly before waving goodbye to their friends who hadn't already left for home; hopping up and down excitedly next to you.

It didn't take long on the walk to their house for them to grow bored, and they let go of your hand to fish out their phone; quickly typing on the keyboard before showing you the screen. _"Are you dating my uncle's?"_

You flushed ruby red, blinking in surprise. "U-Uncle's? Sans and Papyrus are-?" Frisk nodded, quickly typing once more.

_"Alphys and Undyne are my aunts, too."_

Well. That was different.

You scratched the back of your neck awkwardly, thinking to yourself. "Well, ah, y-yeah. We are. Dating, I mean." You slowed down your wheelchair to stay slow to accommodate with how short they are. You guessed that they would only come up to around mid thigh height if you stood.

 _"Do you kiss and stuff? Does Papyrus get jealous over kisses? I bet he does."_ They had a mischievous grin on their face that had you turning even redder, laughing at the weirdness of it all.

"Y-yes, we kiss and hug, and yes, Papyrus gets jealous over Sans having more kisses than he does. He keeps a score." Frisk covers their mouth to stifle a giggle, face elated with glee at the given information. You mentally send Papyrus an apology for the future teasing he was sure to endure.

With the glint in their eye, you were sure they were already forming some kind of plan for the three of you. You could only imagine what they were thinking.

Frisk ran forward suddenly, turning to a house that had a small white fence around it; quickly opening the gate and ushering you in. You rolled on through- making sure to avoid Frisk's tiny feet- and smiled as Frisk ran over to the door, fishing out their key, and quickly opened it.

You slowly rolled in after them- having a bit of an issue getting your wheelchair safely through the door, before closing the door behind you.

"Oh! Hello, dear!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, you've probably got the idea by now, but I'll reiterate it for those who don't know.  
> Won't be able to update everyday like I have been. I was only able to do that because I was in the waiting process of gaining my A03 account, and was writing up a storm while I waited. But I've now run out of chapters to immediately post, so it'll take time to get the new chapters done.
> 
> I'll try to work out a schedule for it as best I can (I don't really follow schedules all too well, but I'm going to do my friggin best for you guys), and I will let you know ASAP on what day(s) I will be posting.
> 
> Just a quick heads up though- I'm moving soon! Sometime in late December and early January. So I'll be in packing/moving mode and will not be able to update for a little bit until everything calms down. I'll post one chapter (if I'm able; if not I'll just leave a note on Tumblr) before hand and let you guys know in the notes.
> 
> Thank you all for being so kind, loving, and patient. I love you all, and if I could hug and give kisses on all your cheeks, I would do so in a heartbeat!! <3  
> \-----  
> If you guys want to make fanart, feel free! (They make me cry ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) so be prepared for tears.)
> 
> Send them to:  
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301
> 
> Also!  
> Feel free to go to my Tumblr for fanfic updates- under the tag "Fanfiction Update". It'll make it a lot easier for me and you guys to know what's up, since I can't just post an author's note on here.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with Toriel, Frisk, Sans, and Papyrus!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're all cuties who deserve everything wonderful in the world. Just thought I'd let you know. <3
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!  
> Warning: Extremely long chapter. Jeez.  
> \-----

You realized that, in hindsight, you shouldn't have been this surprised to find that Frisk's mother- guardian- was an actual monster, having been the previous Queen. But you couldn't help yourself as your eyes scanned over her rather large, but feminine frame in surprise and awe.

You flushed bright red as Toriel came over, smiling wide. Your heart was fluttering erratically as she gently took your hand in her gigantic paw, and shook it politely. "It is so nice to meet you again! Sans has been keeping me up to date with your condition- and I am relieved to see you are well once more from the previous accident." She quickly glanced worriedly over at Frisk before giving you another bright smile. "I am glad to see you up and able, my child."

"U-uh," You oh so eloquently replied, mind moving a mile a minute. You were trying to keep your heart out of your throat, only half processing what she had said. "You're... really beautiful."

Insert foot in mouth.

Her eyes widened as she flushed prettily underneath her fur, giving an adorable snort and laugh. "O-oh my! Ahahaha! Thank you very much; that is quite kind of you to say, my dear." You gave her an awkward grin, scratching the back of your neck.

Frisk made a gagging motion before making hand signs again. You needed to know what those were exactly. Maybe Sans knew?

Toriel gasped slightly before flushing deeper, giving a slight embarrassed and chiding look to Frisk. "Now, Frisk, that was quite rude. I am certain our friend here was only being polite."

You really wished you had a hoodie to hide yourself in.

"S-so, uh," You gently tugged your hand out of her still very massive paw and gave an awkward chuckle. "Y-you're, ah... Toriel, right?" She turned back to face you with a pleased smile, nodding her head.

"That is correct dear. I am very happy to see you again; last I saw you were in quite the horrible condition." You gave a weak laugh, feeling sweat bead down the side of your face. That condition probably wasn't anything compared to the one you were left in, but you didn't want to mention it.

"Well, I hope that whatever happened then- and... recently," She eyed your body in the wheelchair, not making any firm mention about it, "Does not happen again." She frowned a bit, patting your head gently- and you couldn't quite stop the thought of, _'Holy shit she could squeeze my head like a grape,'_ that floated through your head.

It didn't make you feel any less attracted to the beautiful monster, though. She had a very graceful and loving vibe that you couldn't help but be fond of. It was like in storybooks that you would find. You idly wondered if that was what a real mother should feel like.

You started to question your mentality. Frist skeletons, now anthropomorphic goats.

Monsters were weird.

You were weird.

"I'll be going to get dinner started." Toriel smiled wide again, kneeling down on her haunches to pat Frisk on the head before standing back up.

"Would you like some help with that?" The goat monster looked over at you in surprise before laughing daintily behind her paw.

"Oh thank you, but no. I shall be just fine. I am very used to cooking for large groups after all." She ushered you and Frisk to the living room before heading to the kitchen; the sounds of water rushing and bustling about filing out not long after.

Frisk excitedly got behind you and rolled you over by the couch; stopping you just in front of it before making the motion of 'wait', and ran upstairs. You chuckled, leaning back in your seat before pulling out your phone, looking it over.

Checking your recent messages, you noticed that basically everyone in your small group had been texting you. Papyrus was excitedly telling how happy he was that he could talk to you whenever, Undyne was sending pictures of herself flexing with messages of 'Get better soon, nerd!'; Alphys was texting you about some anime that she thought you'd enjoy, and Sans was sending puns and pictures of his job over at the Hot Dog stand.

You stifled a laugh behind your hand at the picture of him doing finger guns and winking at you while someone- co-worker? Boss?- was standing behind him, looking heavily annoyed and disappointed in him.

_"Stop torturing the poor guy and work so you can come over to eat Toriel's dinner, you dork."_

You were rather proud that you were getting faster at texting. It only took you two minutes to finish that sentence. You were very glad that Alphys gave you an actual keyboard- you could only imagine your annoyance and pure rage at the touch screen ones you had seen other people use.

After replying to everyone else, you looked up to see Frisk flying down the stairs in their enthusiasm, nearly missing the last step. After taking a moment to recover, they hopped over to you and sat down on the floor; laying out pictures of drawings of various monsters. Your eyes scanned over various muscled horse fish, spiders, plenty of Papyrus', and an egg shaped one that you couldn't hold back a snort from- spying the name "Sans" next to it.

"Why is Sans an egg?"

Frisk rose their eyebrows before looking over at the drawing; grinning sheepishly with a flush. Grabbing a blank piece of paper, they scribbled down, _"I can't really draw him too well. I'm still learning."_

You huffed, shaking your head. "Don't even joke like that, kiddo. I can barely draw stick figures. Besides," You grinned wide, reaching for the drawing and held it up beside your face for them to see. "He looks quite... egg-celent."

Frisk's jaw dropped, and stars grew in their eyes before they leaned backwards- letting out the most adorable peel of laughter you had ever heard. They rolled back and forth on the floor as you watched in awe, smiling brightly. The kid could laugh! How about that?

Frisk was breathing heavily by the time their laughter died out with breathy wheezes; whiping their tears from their eyes and giving a sigh of relief when their laughter had finished. They turned and gave you the biggest look of adoration and love that had you flushing brightly.

What a cute little nugget.

You chuckled and leaned over to ruffle their hair after carefully placing the drawing on the ground, and leaned back into your seat. Frisk snickered behind their tiny hands before looking around the flooring; grabbing a thin clipboard and handed it to you.

"What's this for?" You asked, gently taking it from their hands. They handed you a piece of paper and some crayons after seeing you place the clipboard on your lap, giving you puppy eyes that you could not ignore.

Damn your love for kids. And weakness to those eyes.

You sighed dramatically before giving them a grin, and picked out a crayon to begin your doodles; snickering when the kid practically cheered in joy. You wondered idly if they could talk and just chose not to, or if it was something else.

_'Considering they don't make any actual throat noises aside from the earlier laughter,'_ You mused, _I'm going to say it might be something else.'_

You and Frisk drew silly faces with different kinds of mustaches on them (Frisk seemed fond of the long, curly type), Papyrus with a 'COOL GUY' crop top, and you drew Alphys and Undyne as best you could from pure memory. You nearly forgot the scientists tail, but Frisk easily fixed it by drawing a quick triangle on the side of it.

By the time there was a knock on the door, you had about fifteen pages filled with random doodles. Frisk jumped up and ran to the door, leaving you and Toriel shaking your heads in amusement.

There was a shout from Papyrus and a squeal from- what you assumed- Frisk as Sans walked in and waved to Toriel before walking over to you.

"Hey Tori, hey pal. Hope you guys didn't get too _bonely_ without us," You grinned in response, blinking in surprise when Toriel let out a snort and happy, bleat-like laugh.

"Oh, Sans, you simply touch my _funny bone_." She grinned cutely at him, leaning against the door frame. You let out a laugh, shaking your head.

"Don't egg him on please; he has a _ton_ of those bone jokes." You paused, rolling your eyes as Sans merely stared at you with a wide, awaiting grin. "A skele-ton."

Toriel laughed good naturedly, nodding her head. "Indeed, my child. But they simply do not grow old to us it seems." She dipped her head at Sans before going back into the kitchen to continue cooking as Papyrus- who was cradling Frisk to his chest... ribs- glared at the both of you.

"That was deplorable and you all should be ashamed of yourselves." He chided, walking into the room before sitting on the floor near the side of the couch. Frisk wiggled down from his arms, reaching over and pulled up the egg drawing of Sans and eagerly pointed at you with a grin.

Snorting, you reached over to Sans' knee and nodded at the drawing. "I dunno, Pap, Frisk thought they were pretty... _egg-celent_."

Frisk turned the drawing around to show Papyrus- who tried his hardest to keep frowning, but merely looked like he was having stomach problems that he didn't have. "...I am displeased."

Sans was chuckling deeply; eye sockets closed in mirth as he reached over and patted your hand. "That was good. Nice one pal." You beamed at the compliment and at Papyrus response, feeling warm inside.

Frisk waved their hands around before grabbing a few art pieces and showing them off to the brothers- eventually hopping up to grab your stick figure art of Alphys and Undyne; beaming with a proud smile at you.

Sans chuckled, reaching over to ruffle your hair. "Nice work pal. Didn't know you had a talent for it." You puffed up your cheeks a bit in embarrassment as Frisk jogged over to Papyrus to show it off; shifting in your seat uncomfortably as he gasped and smiled wide.

"Yeah, yeah, yuck it up," You mumbled to Sans, glancing at him. "I know it was pretty bad." His smile seemed to lessen some, shaking his head.

"Nah, it was pretty good. I wasn't being sarcastic pal; I don't do sarcasm. It ain't funny." You blinked, bemused, before flushing bright; realizing he had actually been complimenting your art instead of being a sarcastic asshole like you thought he was trying to be.

"Sorry. I'm not... ah... used to that." He waved you off, the brighter smile back on his cheek bones.

"Don't worry about it, pal. No harm done." He shuffled closer on the couch behind you and grasped your hand that was resting on your armrest. He gently squeezed it, and you chuckled before squeezing back.

"Date-Friend, you are a wonderful artist!" Papyrus squealed, giving you a bright and sparkling smile as he sifted through your doodles with Frisk. You shook your head as your cheeks burned, trying in vain to quell the tight but warm feeling in your chest.

Eventually everyone calmed down to where Frisk began drawing again- what looked to be a large family portrait of some kind. In between his legs, Frisk carefully crafted the 'perfect' picture with the help of Papyrus- who, in that moment, looked more like a brother figure than an uncle figure.

The happy and tight feeling in your chest grew as you saw them carefully drawing you in the "FamLiy Portrate" right in between Papyrus and Sans; Frisk standing in the middle with a flower that had a frown on its... face? Odd.

Toriel and another goat looking creature- Asgore, as Sans informed you- were standing on either side of the two, with Alphys and Undyne on the far left. You were all holding hands together- aside from the flower- with empty faced flowers and hearts surrounding everyone.

It was the most adorable thing you had ever seen.

"My, my! What wonderful art work my child," Toriel cooed as she stepped out once more from the kitchen, a serene look on her face. Frisk perked up and flushed, but proudly held out their art piece to their mother, who gingerly took it with pride on her features. "I shall hang it up on the walls right after dinner. I believe we still have a few empty picture frames in the attic."

Frisk wiggled in their seat, looking quite pleased with themselves. With a contented sigh, Toriel pulled her gaze from her child's art before beaming over to Papyrus and Sans. "It is so good to finally see you both again! We have missed your presence over these past few months."

"It is good to see you as well, your Majesty!" Papyrus called out, holding on to Frisk's shoulders. "We have missed you both terribly. I hope everything has been well?"

Toriel laughed softly, nodding as she moved to sit in the loveseat that was pulled comfortably close to the fire place. "Yes, yes; everything has been very well, Papyrus." She leveled him with a teasing motherly look that made your chest twinge slightly. "You know very well you do not have to call me your majesty anymore, Papyrus. I walked away from the throne years ago."

Papyrus waved the comment away as you carefully rubbed your chest. What was that about? "I'm glad things are well for you two! I am very sorry we haven't been able to visit much, but..." There was that tightening feeling again, you noted as Papyrus paused. But this one wasn't happy or warm. "We have been having so much fun with our new Date-Friend! We're sorry we did not introduce them properly sooner."

Toriel waved it off with a soothing smile, though her expression had changed to surprise when he said 'Date-Friend'. "Do not apologize for anything, I completely understand. From what I have heard, it has been quite hectic for you all. Your new... Date-Friend especially." She sent you a teasing glance that had you awkwardly smiling at her; too many conflicting emotions running through you at once.

Frisk got up from Papyrus' lap before making hand motions to Toriel- motioning from Sans to Papyrus and then the stairs. Toriel smiled and nodded, "Yes of course dear. I'm sure they wouldn't mind." Frisk beamed before running back up the stairs with the same eagerness they had before.

You took the time to calm your aching chest, pursing your lips in thought. "Ah, I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but," You furrowed your eyebrows together, " Why doesn't Frisk talk? They laughed earlier just fine, but... a-and the hand signs?"

"Kid's mute," Sans replied, reclining in his seat lazily. "They can laugh but that's about it. Never been able to do more than that. The hand signs are sign language. Helps them be able to talk without having to be verbal." You knew the reason, but it only made you more confused. There was more than one sign language? Was the one you learned with Sans and Gaster a completely different language than Frisk's?

"You have never heard of it, my child?" Toriel asked carefully. You straightened up and shook your head meekly, flushing in embarrassment.

"N-no. I mean... kind of?" You scratched your head, sneaking a nonchalant look at Sans- who merely glanced back with a hard look in his eyelights that clearly spoke volumes about this topic- before turning back to Toriel. "I, ah, d-didn't have the best education growing up. Everything I learned was from experience- n-not books o-or from a class. I'm pretty lucky I know how to read."

Toriel looked shocked and appalled from the explanation, and you inwardly sighed at the narrowed escape route you created. You _definitely_ needed to talk about that later.

"Well... I would be more than happy to teach you, my child." She turned her jaw dropped expression into a beaming smile- and you wondered why the house suddenly seemed extremely warm. "I am a teacher, after all! I'm sure Frisk would love to be able to communicate with you, too." You dipped your head low, heavily flattered.

"Th-that's... quite an offer, Toriel. Thank you." To say you were honored was an understatement. You hadn't even gotten to talk much with her, and she barely knew you from personal experience- and yet, here she was, offering you an education that you hadn't been given the chance to have.

And humans said Monsters were absolutely evil. Insert sarcastic laugh here.

"Perhaps we could join in as well?" Papyrus prodded softly, a hopeful smile splashed on his bones. You could tell that nobody in the room was saved from his adorable charms- not even yourself. It was no wonder Sans always praised and adored his brother. He was an adorable acorn.

"Why, I see no problem with that at all, Papyrus!" Toriel looked delighted at the prospect, clasping her paws together happily. You grinned; your teachings would more than likely be held here, and having the skeleton brothers over would absolutely give them more time to hang out with Frisk. You glanced over at the younger skeleton- who was positively beaming at his brother- and wondered if he knew exactly what he was doing.

Sneaky skeleton...?

Frisk came down the stairs much slower than the last time- though their arms were completely laden with colourful boxes that shined in the sunlight that pierced through the windows. They carefully set the boxes down in front of the skeleton brothers with a proud grin, motioning for them to take them. You could tell Sans and Papyrus were awed, and- from their flushed cheek bones- quite flustered and surprised.

"What's this all for, kiddo?" Sans drawled, reaching out for the shiny red box. Frisk made signs again, motioning to them both. Papyrus was near tears as he reached over and plucked Frisk off the ground and into his arms; hugging the child close.

"Oh, Frisk! This was absolutely sweet of you to do; thank you so much friend!" You rose an eyebrow, leaning over carefully to see that all the boxes had tags on them; messily scrawled with "From Frisk, To Papyrus" or "From Frisk, To Sans".

The kid had actually gotten Christmas presents for the brothers, and probably hadn't been able to give them to the both of them due to...

There was that tight feeling in your chest again.

You sighed, quietly looking at the floor. Seems a lot of reasons they hadn't gotten to see each other was because you entered their lives. You couldn't help the frown that marred your face, rubbing your hand over your bandages self consciously. You had kept them from seeing each other quite a lot, and you felt... awful about it.

"Oh dear," Toriel breathed, standing up as she quietly spoke your name. "Would you mind helping me for a moment in the kitchen?" She smiled over at the trio who moved closer together to cuddle and talk amongst themselves. "I am sure they will be fine without us for the moment."

"Oh, uh, yes. Of course." You only had half of your mind processing things as you carefully rolled yourself around the presents and drawings on the floor; following Toriel's heels slowly as you took in the sight of the immaculate looking kitchen. You wondered how that was possible considering she had been cooking just moments before.

"Now, please don't think of me to be rude," Toriel started out slowly, grabbing things from the high shelves around her. "I would appreciate your help with one thing, but what I really wanted was a moment to talk with you alone. I hope you do not mind."

"N-not at all," You smiled weakly, looking around the kitchen in a daze. Hopefully she could take care of all the higher placed things, considering your leg predicament. She seemed to sense your uncertainty, and smiled over her shoulder, pointing to the fridge.

"Would you mind grabbing the butterscotch, butter, cream, eggs, and milk for me, dear?" You nodded, repeating the long list in your head as you rolled over to the fridge. Quickly gathering all the ingredients, you set them down on the small isle in the middle of the kitchen.

"So how is it living with the brothers?" She grabbed the dry ingredients she had set out before; mixing them all together in a bowl. You didn't like how she wasn't getting straight to the point. It made you anxious.

"S'fine. Pretty fun, heh." You idly played with your arm bandages, frowning a bit. "It's, uh, really nice to have a place to stay, and sleep. To be able to go back to, if I ever need them. And I finally have my own room, so that's nice."

Toriel smiled softly, but you could tell that it was hiding strained look. You hoped you didn't overstep any boundaries.

"And how are they doing? Are they... eating well?"

You nodded, giving a small smile as you retold your cooking 'adventures' you all had at home. Your first day of learning with Undyne and Papyrus was, ultimately, your favourite though. Toriel laughed softly behind her paw as you talked, thoroughly enjoying your stories.

"My, it sounds like you are all having such fun," She hummed, placing the batter she created into a pie tin. Your smile dropped, thoughts retreating back to how you had been keeping Sans and Papyrus away from Frisk and her. "I'm glad they have someone to enjoy themselves with. I worry about their well- being quite a bit since they live so far- and are constantly busy with their work."

"I'm sorry," You blurted out, unable to stand the deepening pain in your chest anymore. You didn't look her in the eyes as you kept your head bowed down. "I-I didn't know they had... if I knew that I had been keeping them away from you guys, I-I wouldn't have-!"

A gently and calming paw placed itself on your head; soothingly stroking your hair as Toriel murmured softly. "Whatever are you apologizing for, my child? It is certainly not your fault they took an interest in you. They could have visited at any time- though I am sure they were more than pleased to spend time with you."

The comforting gesture she was presenting you with was really new to you. You never had a mother figure before- yours was much more interested in her husband and not her five children. You could feel tears start to well up in your eyes, and you quickly rubbed at them to try and keep calm. You would _not_ break down in front of this kind woman you just met.

"I-I'm sorry," You choked out, your throat tightening as well as your chest. Toriel squeezed your shoulder firmly, grabbing your attention.

"That is quite enough, child," She state, her voice cutting through everything, but no louder than it needed to be. You knew she didn't want the other three to hear anything- and, quite frankly, you didn't either. "Why is it you are so guilty for nothing? What is it that makes you feel this way?"

Toriel gave you a worried look, gently caressing your cheek as she wiped away a few stray tears. "We are more than capable to visit each other. We simply haven't had the time recently. It has nothing more to do with you becoming," She paused, a sly look in her eyes, "'Date-Friend's' with Papyrus and Sans, or living with them for that matter."

Despite everything going on, you couldn't stop your blushing if you tried. "B-but-!" She gently shushed you, kneeling down to tenderly sweep you into a loving, all-encompassing hug that eased the tightness in your chest and warmed your entire being. It was filled with understanding, and such a warm motherly vibe, you could hold yourself back from burying your head into her chest and weep quietly.

You both stayed that way until your tears ceased; pulling away slowly. You felt better, but only a little as mortification of what just happened set into your brain. You were probably fifty shades of red by the time you stumbled your apologies. So much for not breaking down in front of her.

Toriel simply laughed, waving it all off. "My dear, I do this very often for many others. It is all right, I assure you. I'm quite pleased you were able to get that off your chest." She gnawed on her bottom lip slightly before pressing on. "I noticed you were looking rather down out there. I assume this is what that was about...?"

You nodding your head, hand to cheek as you avoided eye contact. "Y-yeah. I felt bad because... well. Frisk obviously got presents for Sans and Papyrus for Christmas- a-and yet, they asked _me_ if _I_ wanted to spend the holidays with them. If I had known they had an adorable little munchkin waiting for them, I absolutely would have said no."

Toriel laughed, slowly easing herself up to her full height and went back to her cooking supplies; packing unneeded things away. "I'm not entirely sure you would have been able to say no even _if_  you had known about Frisk. Those two are quite insistent on everything they do. Well," She mused, smiling fondly as she started to make the crust for the pie. "Papyrus is insistent. Sans just seems to follow after."

You smiled softly at that, understanding well enough. Sans was quite lazy with a lot of things. He usually let his brother take the reigns on things- unless it involved needing to beat someone up, save the one time he let Papyrus take care of the original HPP leader.

You paused, thinking back on all the times you had been saved. All those times, Sans was the one who used his magic to save you.

Maybe he wasn't so lazy with everything...

Toriel slid the pie into the oven before turning around with a cheery smile. "Well then! Why don't we see how everyone is doing out there?" You nodded, taking a moment to wipe down your face, and moved to roll out before Toriel stopped you with a hand on your shoulder.

"Before, though, please," She murmured softly, leaning close to your ear. "You are not a burden, and you are not in the way of anything this family does. You are a part of it, and I have not seen those boys happier than they are now with you. Do not think of yourself negatively, my child. You are loved, and you are always welcome in my home."

You bobbed your head, unable to speak with the wave of emotion that overwhelmed you in that moment; giving her a tight smile.

A family. The words rung in your head as you rolled out with Toriel, smiling at the small group on the floor surrounded by paper and presents. Family. You had a family.

"Oh, Date-Friend! You must come see this!" Papyrus called, motioning you over. You smiled, rolling yourself over nearby Papyrus, and immediately being handed a tacky but well loved and adorably made sweater. "Frisk made it for me! Isn't it just wonderful?"

You nodded, running your fingers over it. The fabric was soft, and though clumsily put together, it was still a very solid looking sweater. "This is amazing Frisk! You did a really great job on it!"

Frisk flushed, giving you a bright smile while they hid their face shyly; causing you and Toriel to laugh. You handed the sweater back to Papyrus before carefully pulling Frisk up and gently on to your lap; cuddling them close to your stomach. They were light enough that the pressure didn't cause too much pain on your legs, and you gave them a light squeeze in response to their surprised look.

Frisk merely smiled wide and, though warily, snuggled close to your side with a pleased hum. Toriel gave you both a loving look as she settled herself back in her loveseat, and the brothers both gave laughs at the- apparently- adorable sight.

The small child on your lap looked over at your arm- your non-cast covered arm, anyways- and tilted their head, plucking the bandages lightly before looking up at you. They signed something, but you looked over to Papyrus and Sans for help, unable to understand.

"Nah kiddo; they aren't hurt on that arm anymore." Frisk screwed their face up in confusion, signing again. "Frisk wants to know why you're in bandages if you aren't hurt there."

It was obvious he didn't want to answer for you if you weren't comfortable with it, and you couldn't be more thankful. You gave Frisk a sad smile, petting their head gently. "I've been hurt more times than I can count, kiddo. I've been... scarred from all the wounds those mean people left on me. I don't like it when people give rude comments about them, so I cover up." You paused for a moment before adding with a shrug, "I usually take them off at home though."

Frisk gave an 'oh' shape with their mouth, furrowing their eyebrows before signing again. Sans and Papyrus both shifted in their seats, uncomfortable by whatever was signed, and Papyrus answered a bit reluctantly. "No, Frisk, they do not get hurt anymore. Sans valiantly saved them from the last cruel human that injured our Date-Friend, and that was the last of them."

You looked away, shifting in your seat. God you hated to think about that night.

Frisk became excited suddenly, making large hand motions and finished with a wide grin. Toriel gave a laugh as the brothers grinned. "My dear sweet child, that is for them to decide. Though I am sure they would appreciate the thought."

You furrowed your eyebrows and waited for someone to translate when Frisk pointed at the ground- Papyrus leaning over to lift Frisk from your lap and set them on the floor- and grabbed a piece of empty paper and a crayon; quickly writing down on the piece of paper.

_'You can take off your bandages here! This is your home too; no one will get mad at you for it!'_

You gave a breathy chuckle before leaning over and laughing loudly and freely. It took a moment before you were composed enough to reach over and pull Frisk into an awkward but still loving hug; squishing your cheek against theirs, rubbing them together.

"Thanks kiddo," You sniffled a bit as Frisk cuddled close, wiping your eyes free of any watery substance. "You sure you won't mind? They aren't exactly... pretty." Frisk shrugged, though it was obvious they were more than curious to see what they looked like.

"You do not have to if you are not comfortable with it, my child." Toriel reminded softly, her gaze warm and supportive. It made your chest warm, and you relished the feeling; giving her an appreciative smile in return as you handed Frisk your non-cast covered arm.

"I'll let you decide on whether or not I keep it on." You motioned to your other arm with a wry grin. "Can't exactly take this one off, but it's fine." Frisk grinned, nodding and began untying and unwrapping your bandages. Frisk eagerly started unwrapping your hand, but paused when they got to the first few scars; simply staring or tracing them.

They glanced up at you and made the same motions you had seen before. "Does it hurt?" Papyrus translated, and you chuckled; ruffling Frisk's hair with your other hand.

"Nah, I'm good. Keep going." Frisk nodded but began unwrapping them slower than before; taking in all your various scars. You glanced up to see Toriel looking a bit sick and horrified from the scars, but you didn't say anything as she met your gaze. She shook her head, covering her maw with an apologetic look. You gave a smile, very subtly nodding your head in forgiveness. They weren't easy to look at, especially when you realized how exactly you got these.

Finally reaching the end up to your shoulder, they gave you a bright smile and dropped the bandages to the side of your chair to show they didn't want you wearing them.

You snorted before ruffling their hair; feeling proud that you had let two new people into your group- _family_ \- and they accepted you, scars and all. Frisk soon made grabby hands up at you, and you carefully lifted them back into their spot on your lap; smiling as they snuggled close and began tracing your scars.

God, you were so glad they weren't scared or turned up their nose at the markings. You weren't sure you could take that from them.

Papyrus looked near tears as he cried out, "Oh Date-Friend! I'm so proud of you! Taking all this in stride and showing off your scars- I am sure it took a lot of courage!" You flushed, chuckling to yourself at his response. Frisk tilted their head, signing over to Papyrus, causing him to reply, "Oh, no. It took quite a while for our friend to show us their scars. We've been helping them become more comfortable with themselves! Isn't it wonderful?"

Toriel laughed softly from her seat, and you could help but grin as she stood up. "It is quite wonderful, Papyrus. I'm so pleased you are all helping each other out." She clasped her paws together, smiling cheerfully. "Now, the pie is about ready, so how about we enjoy some delicious dinner while it cools?"

You nodded, pulling Frisk closer to your chest as you leaned back in your chair; carefully rolling to the dining room behind Toriel. They waved their hands around excitedly, obviously never having been in a wheelchair before, and giggled to themselves as you laughed with them.

Dinner was delicious, and dessert was second to none. You complimented Toriel for her cooking skills and asked if she wouldn't mind teaching you a thing or two alongside your education- to which she happily agreed.

Soon enough you were all piled back in the living room, Frisk still on your lap, with the brothers in front of you on the couch; sleepily reading out a storybook to them. Your head was on top of theirs, and you could tell they were drifting off as much as you were. Giving a small thought, you gently hummed a song you once heard your mother sing; Frisk nodding off not too long afterwards.

Toriel came over and gently plucked Frisk from your lap, giving you an approving look that made you flush.

"Thank you for coming over today," She spoke quietly, bowing her head in thanks. You nodded your head in return, sitting back up in your chair with an awkward grin as Sans and Papyrus gave a wave.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Tori. I had planned for you guys to meet sometime soon anyways." Toriel gave a fond smile over at Sans before looking back to you.

"Frisk has been quite eager to get to know you. I hope you do not mind them asking for your presence more often." You shook your head, giving a small chuckle.

"Absolutely not," Your eyes trailed over to Frisk's adorable sleeping form, quietly laughing to yourself as you spotted from drool on their face. "Kid's extremely adorable. It'll probably be harder to ever say no to them instead of yes."

Toriel covered her mouth as she tried to muffle her laughter; Papyrus and Sans giving knowing grins.

It was a real wonder how this kid wasn't completely spoiled.

You all moved from the couch, thanking Toriel for the wonderful meal before waving goodbye and making your way out to Papyrus' car. You sighed softly as Papyrus lifted you up and into the backseat; sweetly buckling you in with a small "kiss" on your head. Sans moved the wheelchair to the trunk before sliding into the passenger's seat as Papyrus slid into the driver's seat; starting the car in one fluid motion.

You leaned against the window, a pleased smile on your face. Papyrus glanced at you from the rear view mirror. "Are you all right, Date-Friend?" You grinned, nodding.

"I'm great, just really sleepy." Sans snorted, reaching back and softly patted your hand.

"We'll be home soon. Feel free to pass out if you need to." Your chest tightened- warm and bright- at the word home, and you were slightly overwhelmed again with bright emotions you hadn't felt in a long time. Closing your eyes, you thought over what had happened to you since meeting monsters and living with the skeleton brothers.

You had a home. A real, structurally sound, three bedroom, not alleyway home. You had a family of friends, and were in a loving relationship. You were meeting new people nearly every time you turned around- kind, caring, and supportive people. You were starting to love your body again. Even though you were kidnapped and tortured by your ex-best friend, you couldn't feel happier than you had ever been knowing you had Sans and Papyrus to support you whenever you felt down- Toriel, Frisk, Undyne, and Alphys too.

Dozing away, your last conscious thoughts were of your new, loving family; leaving a warm smile on your face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys want to make fanart, feel free! (They make me cry ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) so be prepared for tears.)
> 
> Send them to:  
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301
> 
> Also!  
> Feel free to go to my Tumblr for fanfic updates- under the tag "Fanfiction Update". It'll make it a lot easier for me and you guys to know what's up, since I can't just post an author's note on here.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You think back to the old days and begin your mental healing process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited!
> 
> I just want to make a quick note for those of you who are waiting oh-so patiently for my full return;
> 
> Thank you for being so patient. I really appreciate it. Though a few have been pushing me to continue, I apologize that the rest of you have to suffer due to them.  
> It would always be wise to note that this is not my job, and I legitimately have no obligations to finish this whenever you so please. None of you pay me, and until the day that ever changes, it would be wise to not anger me with ridiculous comments.
> 
> I will always make it so there will be no updates for very, very long periods of time should something like this occur again. I will never cater to your whims, your manipulative begging, or rude pushing for me to update. I owe you nothing.
> 
> Do not ruin this story for everyone else. Because I can, and will, should I have to, drop it like a hot potato.
> 
> With that, please enjoy this updated chapter.
> 
> _______

Some days were better than others, you idly observed in your mind.

While the past few days had been warm and loving, filled with caring and supportive people you considered family, there was always that one quiet moment in time that made you think of your youth.

You sighed to yourself as you ran a hand through your hair, staring out the window from on the couch and watching the rain drizzle down the glass.

You had the house to yourself for the moment, the brothers having to step out for work around the same time today. You were still on recovery leave, of course, so you were left home alone not for the first time.

But you hated it. Being alone meant your thoughts were sure to wander; back to the past, to 'brighter days' in your time.

Back when _he_ was still good.

It was hard to think fondly of him now. Just the thought of him as a child made your stomach roil with despair and grief for what had been a sweet child- and a twinge of hatred for what he did to you. You subconsciously trailed your hand down to your stomach; tracing your newer scars with a slight frown.

You didn't like that these scars would always remain there because of him. It was something that would always haunt you whenever you looked into a mirror.

With a sigh, you shook your head. You felt foggy, almost, as your thoughts were clouded by a melancholy mist. The rain wasn't helping any- as it brought back memories of when you two would hide away together. It seemed like it had just been yesterday when you two were hiding in an alleyway...

 

* * *

 

"Come on! We're going to get soaked!" An eight year old Chance huffed and puffed as he tugged you along, trying in vain to block out the on coming rain with his tiny forearm. It was a harsh monsoon that started up in the middle of the day, nearly catching everyone off guard- despite knowing what the season entailed.

You two had been playing outside nearby a bakery when the storm hit- nowhere near either of your homes- and you had no cover when the store clerk shooed you both out when he needed to close.

Chance seemed to have an idea on where to go, and you followed as fast as your tiny, chubby legs could carry you down the soddened sidewalks.

It seemed like forever to you when you finally turned into a dead end alleyway, and you both dove for the safety of a cardboard box that had been tossed in there haphazardly. With the roof above the alleyway, you were protected enough that you wouldn't get any worse for wear, but with how terrible the storm was, it wasn't a surprise when the rain started nearly going sideways.

Hunkering down in the dampened box, you both pressed your bodies close together to keep warm. Your weak, tiny form shuddered from your cold, wet clothes sticking to your skin. You were definitely going to get sick from this.

"You okay?" Chance asked, hugging your body closer. You nodded, more than happy to share warmth together. You felt safer in his arms, and smiled cheerfully despite the drastic change in weather. "Heh, you're happy about something."

"I like being with you!" You chirped, snuggling close to his side. His form seemed to tense beside you, and you looked up at him in question. His cheeks were rosy, and you mildly fretted. Was he getting sick? "Are you okay? You look like you got a fever..."

"I'm fine!" Chance snapped, his cheeks burning brighter as he turned his face away from you. You shrugged, letting him have his way as you burrowed closer to his side. He was very warm despite being in soaked clothing- and you couldn't help but want to take some of it for yourself.

"You're weird..." He pouted, giving you an odd look out from the corner of his eye as he watched you try to bury yourself against him. You simply smiled, and gave a small yawn into your tiny hand; rubbing your eye tiredly.

"Being weird is cool, though. Means you aren't normal like an grown-up with res'p'bilities." Being five years old, you weren't quite able to pronounce everything correctly, but Chance seemed to understand regardless. He huffed before giving a reluctant nod.

"Yeah, grown-ups are boring. I don't ever want to be one."

You tilted your head, sighing softly as you listened to Chance's beating heart against your ear, and the rain storm just behind you. "I dunno 'bout that. Being a grown-up means you get to do fun stuff. Ma and Pa are always going fun stuff with those funny drinks and going dancing."

Chance was quiet, and you nearly fell asleep against his chest when he started speaking again. "...I don't want to have any responsbilities though. Like chores. Those are stupid. I hate chores."

You giggled quietly, coughing lightly into your hand. "No res'p'bilities then. We'll be grown up, so we'll get to make our own decisions. Right?" Chance nodded, a wide grin on his face.

"Heck yeah! We can be grown-ups together, and no one can tell us what to do!" You grinned at the thought of growing up with Chance. He was always there for you whenever someone tried to bully you- like your neighbors or siblings.

"We should get married! So we can stay together forever and ever, like Ma and Pa!" You sat up at the thought, clapping your small hands together in joy. Chance flushed bright red again, giving you a wide eyed look.

"Wh-what? Married? Why would you want to go an' do that? I'm no good for you- you should go marry someone whose got money." You wrinkled your nose in distaste, shaking your head fervently.

"No! I wanna marry you, Chance! We can get our own money and stay together forever!" You leaned over and grasped his hand before pecking his cheek. He squawked and pulled away, rubbing furiously at his cheek to clean it. You giggled into your hands; he was so funny sometimes!

"Wh-why the heck d'ya wanna something stupid like that?" He muttered, giving you a confused glance as he held his 'cootie-covered' cheek. You frowned, shaking your head.

"It's not stupid! I like you a lot. Ma says you can only marry someone ya like, so that makes it easy." You shuffle over to his side, placing your head on his shoulder. "You always protect me, too! And I do my best to keep you safe. We're a great team; I think we'd be perfect for each other!"

You grinned wide, moving slightly to continue cuddling him like before; humming in delight. Yes, marrying Chance would be the perfect thing.

Chance grumbled from above you about 'stupid weirdo's' and 'gross cooties' before relaxing a bit in his spot; petting your head slowly as you both calmed down from your excitement. You smiled sleepily as you held loosely onto his shirt, giving another yawn.

Your best friend shifted in his seat a bit, pushing your head to his lap, and turned away as you glanced up at him- cheeks a deep rosy hue like before.

"Get some sleep. We'll prob'ly be here a while." You shook your head, turning over on your other side so you wouldn't have to crane your neck.

"What about you? Aren't you tired?" Chance shook his head, giving you a lopsided grin. He looked cute like that, you idly thought.

"Nope! I'm older, so I haf'ta keep an eye out for you. Now sleep!" He covered your eyes with his hands, causing you to giggle. After wrestling a little to remove his hands, you yawned again and buried our face into his stomach with a smile.

"You make me feel safe an' happy. Love you..." You mumbled, rubbing your eye again before taking hold of his shirt; soon enough out like a light. Unbeknownst to you, Chance flushed bright red at the declaration of love, and hid his face in embarrassment; not making a sound behind his hands so he didn't wake you.

Chance sighed quietly, removing his hands from his face as he stared at your sleeping form with an odd gleam in his eyes. He reached over and gently glided his tiny fingers through your hair. "I'll protect ya, Shorty. You'll be mine, and I'll do my best to keep ya happy. No matter what."

It was a promise he intended to keep, no matter how hard it would be. He would marry you, take care of you, and no matter what-

You would always be his.

 

* * *

 

You woke up from your light dozing to the sound of Sans and Papyrus' chattering as they walked inside; shaking off the rain that had accumulated from outside. Rubbing your eye and giving a yawn, you waved tiredly from the couch; feeling... rather drained despite only taking a nap. Was the rain getting to you even from outside?

Papyrus and Sans both paused and stared at you in surprise and worry, and you frowned. "Something up?" Your voice felt very dry, and you rubbed your throat slightly. You hoped you weren't getting sick again.

"Date-Friend, are you all right?" Papyrus asked, surprisingly quiet as he stepped forward to you with Sans trailing not far behind. You rose an eyebrow, expression deadpan.

"Uh. Yeah...? I was just sleeping. Is there something on my face?" You instinctively go to wipe the sides of your mouth, hoping that there wasn't drool coating your mouth. Wiping down your face, you noticed your cheeks were slightly damp, and the edges of your eyes were a bit wet too. Had you been crying? In your sleep?

Sans walked over beside you as Papyrus cradeled your face and wiped away the rest of your semi-dried tears; frowning heavily on his bones. It didn't suit the normally cheerful skeleton, and you squirmed slightly at the look.

"Date-Friend, please tell us if something is bothering you. Are you in pain? Should I grab your medication?" You weakly shook your head in Papyrus' hands, squeezing them to get him to calm down. Nothing but your head really ached at the moment- aside from a small weight in your chest.

"I'm fine, Pap. Promise. Just a... I don't know. I didn't even notice I had been crying 'til you mentioned it.."

"You were sleeping," Sans commented, raising a bonebrow. "What were ya' dreamin' about?" You sighed and pulled yourself out of Papyrus' hands to rub your forehead. The pounding lessened to some degree, but it was still there.

"Chance," You muttered, feeling the brothers stiffen. "It was when we were younger. Not... that thing." You waved your good hand flippantly, not wanting to think about that day. It was still a very sore topic. Sans took your free hand and gave it a light squeeze- and you grasped Papyrus' hand before squeezing them both.

You weren't sure if you were doing it to comfort them, or yourself, at this point.

Papyrus looked very uncomfortable with the topic himself, and lowered himself to sit on his knees next to the couch. "Were these... fond memories? When you were younger?" You were hesitant to reply, but found yourself giving a half nod, half shrug.

"Yeah, I... I guess so." You wistfully thought back to the old days when you had promised each other you'd marry and grow up together. You'd forgotten about it a while later- due to a fever you had gotten from the monsoon, no doubt- but you supposed Chance never really did. "He wasn't always like he is now... I hate the think how badly HPP brainwashed what was once a really sweet kid."

Sans huffed quietly next to you, squeezing your hand again. "I don't see how that disgusting thing could have ever been sweet to ya. But, then again, I didn't know the guy back then."

You frowned lightly as you played with their hands, lost in thought. What _would_ your life be like if you and Chance really did grow up and marry you? Would you be in a somewhat similar clique with monsters like you were now? Would Chance have maybe liked monsters?

Would you have Papyrus and Sans with you like you did now?

Papyrus squeezed your hand, bringing you back to reality. Your heart squeezed painfully at his heartbroken look. "Do you... regret being here instead of with him?"

Sitting up and wincing in pain, you shoved the lightening sharp feelings to the side as you pulled Papyrus close and buried yourself into his arms. "No, no, no! Not even in the slightest, Papyrus!"

You didn't care as your body screamed in pain from your sudden movements; wrapping your arms tightly around his form. "I-I miss him- the old him- sure. A-and we made a stupid promise as kids that we'd get married one day, b-but," You peered up at him, a determined gaze on your face. "But I don't want that with him anymore. Not after what he's done."

Pulling back slightly, you moved your hands to gently cradle his cheek bones in your hands and swept your thumbs over the smooth bone. "I don't ever regret doing what I've done for monster kind- or being with you both! I love you guys, so, so much. You mean so much more to me than... than that rat bastard." You pulled him down a bit to gently bump your forehead against his, causing him to give out a little "nyeh heh heh" in response.

"That is... very relieving to know, Date-Friend. I am glad you do not wish to return to him. You are certainly much better off with Sans and I!" He grinned wide, carefully and slowly plucking you up from the couch before taking your spot and gently settling you into his lap. Papyrus leaned down and nuzzled your head with a "kiss", causing you to snicker from the tickling sensation.

You moved your head to plant a fat kiss on his teeth, humming in delight. You pulled away to see hearts slowly floating over Papyrus' head, popping after a certain height. You gave him a lopsided grin as you watched Papyrus slowly come out of his dazed state; snickering louder as his cheeks soon flushed a deep red.

You heard Sans chuckling from behind you, and you grinned wickedly; turning around to pull him close by his jacket and planting a sloppy kiss on his teeth as well. After pulling away, you laughed gleefully at Sans' bright blue cheeks- almost missing how his white eye lights turned into tiny hearts- and beamed as similar hearts floated above his head too.

Your laughter filled up the room as you took Sans' hand in yours again; soon sighing contently despite the pain as you leaned against Papyrus' chest; smiling brightly up at him when he wrapped his arms around you.

Yes; some days were better than others, you thought. You were sad at how Chance changed, and how you lost a deep rooted friendship. But, you thought as you smiled to yourself when Papyrus and Sans 'argued' about puns, you were happy. Happy with your new relationships, and your new life.

Everything would heal slowly over time, but with the skeleton brothers by your side, you could tell you would be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys want to make fanart, feel free! (They make me cry ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) so be prepared for tears.)
> 
> Send them to:  
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301
> 
> Also!  
> Feel free to go to my Tumblr for fanfic updates- under the tag "Fanfiction Update". It'll make it a lot easier for me and you guys to know what's up, since I can't just post an author's note on here.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You train with Undyne!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been quite a while since I've edited / updated chapters. Sorry about that. My brain seems to like being distracted when doing things I love. I don't know why, and it's annoying as heck.
> 
> But I'm here now! I promise to do better and get back into the swing of things!
> 
> I think most of my not wanting to update stems from being unable to fix chapters 20 and 21 how I would like them. So. I'll probably fix those after all of these are finished? Before updating with the next actual chapter?
> 
> It makes me feel gross having those bad chapters up and ruining the flow of my story. I'll have to suck it up and learn how to fix them the way I want them to be, even if I have to add a new chapter or two to make it work. Cause what's wrong with that, right? Right.
> 
> So!! Without further adieu!! Enjoy this chapter!! <3  
> _______

The last two months had practically flown by, you thought to yourself in surprise when you noticed the calendar next to Sans' bed at eight in the morning.

It was officially a few weeks into April, and you had just removed the cast from your arm, all stitches were removed from your body, and you could walk with a walking stick that Papyrus very happily picked out for you at the store.

Walking was still very difficult- which the doctors had reassured you was normal, and would be normal for the next month or so- but it was getting to be easier from the therapy and help from your friends.

It felt nice to give a good leg stretch and hobble around every once in awhile. The doctors said it was good for you to do to keep your muscles working in proper shape. Or something along those lines.

They tended to drone on in details that just flitted in and out of your head pretty fast. Most of it was medical jargon that went right over your head anyways. When taking lessons with Toriel, she never really went into human biology; mostly sticking to maths, English or ASL, and a few science courses. Medical stuff however… you pretended to understand and nod whenever they said something.

But as for the reason why you were up at eight in the morning...

You heard huffs, pants, and grunting coming from the living room. After a few moments of listening in, you figured out it was Papyrus and Undyne working out. It wasn't hard to find out when they were practically shouting about it.

You glanced at the still snoozing Sans, unsurprised by his lack of care to the noise. You found that he could sleep through a lot, unless it was right next to him.

You were thankful that he allowed you to stay in his bed, after relaying to the boys that you feared about sleeping alone at night. They had taken to having you sleep with each of them in a schedule; Sans was first, as Papyrus had the next day off, and it would go back and forth until the weekend where you would all sleep together.

It made you feel safer, and kept you grounded whenever you had a night terror. Gaster had been coming around less and less- doing Gaster things, you assumed- so having the boys both with you and being able to physically touch them was comforting.

Carefully, you peeled his arm away from your waist and set it gently next to him- knowing you wouldn't be getting anymore sleep now that you were up and awake- and grabbed your cane; heaving yourself up out of bed very carefully. You didn't want to take any chances after all.

You slowly rolled your shoulders and stretched your still slightly asleep form exactly how the doctors and Alphys told you to do every morning; taking in a deep breath before letting it out happily. God you loved being able to move again.

Taking one last peek at the snoring Sans- who curled up around his pillow, now that your warm body was gone- you hobbled your way out of the room and gently closed the door behind you. Walking and looking over the railing, you spotted Undyne and Papyrus cheerily (and loudly) doing push-ups in front of the TV.

"C'mon Papyrus, keep up with me now!" Sweat was dripping off their brows (did skeletons have brows? Never mind that- how was he sweating?) from their extreme work out. Despite her goading, Papyrus was in fact keeping well in pace with the fish woman; huffing and puffing just as much as she was.

"Yes Undyne!"

You smiled, leaning against the railing as you called down, "Good morning Pap, Undyne. Working out hard?"

They both snapped their heads up, pausing mid-push-up to smile up cheerfully at you. "Hey punk; g'morning!"

"Good morning Date Friend! Did you sleep well?" Papyrus inquired, despite his still unmoving hold in the push-up position. You were impressed; neither of them had moved and weren't shaking from the strain. They had to do this every day or something.

"Yeah, I did. Sans somehow always knows when I'm about to have a nightmare and keeps me calm. It's nice."

Papyrus beamed, finally moving up and down again. "I am glad to hear it, Date Friend! You deserve some nice rest after everything. Just do not become a lazybones like Sans."

Undyne cried out as she finally noticed Papyrus having gotten ahead of her, speeding through a few dozen. "NGAAHH! PAPYRUS, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KEEP WITH ME!"

You chuckled as the two began to race against each other; slowly making your way down the stairs. That couch looked awfully comfy for your slightly strained back.

You sounded like an old person.

"Oi! Wait... a minute, punk. Why don't you come join us?" Undyne called from the ground next to a collapse Papyrus; panting and snickering at the groaning pile of bones.

"Y-yes, Date Friend; the... the doctors did say light exercise... would be beneficial to your muscle growth!"

You gave them both an amused look as you planted your rear on the lumpy green couch. "You guys don't even know the meaning of 'light exercise'. I would definitely break something by trying to keep up with you both."

"Aw, c'mon, you nerd!" Undyne whined, moving to sit on her legs. "You're going to be all not sweaty and weak if you don't!"

"I didn't realize being not sweaty was a bad thing." You teasingly mused aloud, grinning as she growled.

"Perhaps Date Friend is right Undyne! We work very hard comparatively to what they could do right now," Papyrus called from the floor, not having moved from his face down position. "It might end up breaking them again if they were to attempt any of our workouts!"

"I'm not that fragile, I think, but thank you Paps." You agreed, leaning comfortably against the couch cushions. You sunk in slightly with a pleased sigh; the strain starting to relieve itself from your back.

Undyne threw her hands up in the air, practically whining in an 'angry' fashion. "You won't break! Hell, it'll do you more good than harm! C'mon!"

"Why are you so intent on making me workout?" You questioned, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. There had to be an underlying thing here; she'd never pushed you to working out with her this hard before.

The fish monster blanched, obviously not expecting to have to explain herself, and crossed her arms; looking away to glare at the wall. You merely smiled, continuing to stare and wait. Patience was a virtue. Whatever a 'virtue' was.

"NGAAHH! I JUST WANNA FIGHT YOU, OKAY?!"

And there it was.

"Fight me?" You parroted, sitting up slightly. "Like... in the monster way? Versus my SOUL?"

"HECK YEAH!" Undyne's eye was glittering with excitement as she moved to stand. "Dude, it's been forever since Toriel let me spar with Frisk, and I'm just itching to see how strong you are-!"

"Undyne, I don't think that's a good idea," Papyrus interrupted; sitting up to look at the both of you while fidgeting with his workout crop top. You found it cute that he always replaced the words on shirts with his own phrases. The one he was wearing had 'Bite Me' with an added 'Don't' above the word bite. "I-I'm unsure where we would even go for you two to spar safely! Y-you recall the last time we sparred together. The floors were ruined."

"And the ceiling," Undyne mused, scratching the back of her head as her eyes moved up subconsciously to the ceiling. You sweatdropped. What on earth did they do to have that happen? "But we can just go to that one training spot! Y'know; out in the tree covered area?"

Papyrus didn't look any more pleased at the suggestion, instead starting to sweat nervously. "B-but... they could get hurt! I would rather they not be injured. Again."

Undyne frowned, staring over at her best friend with a calculating gaze; probably increasing the skeleton's anxiety even more. You felt yourself stiffen as you looked back and forth between the two.

You felt like the room was getting heavy with Undyne's anger and Papyrus' stifling anxiety, making it feel like you couldn't breathe. It was too much like your biological family.

Silent staring matches reminded you too much of your sisters whenever they got mad at you. Or the cold indifferent stares from your parents whenever you came to them for anything. Whenever either one of them, or both, were too drunk to even care for the littlest of the bunch-

"What do you do in a monster battle?"

They both snapped out of their- actually rather short- staring contest to see you somewhat fidgeting guiltily in your seat. You notice now as the weird (panic attack?) haze dispelled from your mind, you were probably being ridiculous. You just couldn't stand something familiar and anxiety inducing with your new 'family'. You hadn't meant to get snappy.

The guilt only increased when you saw the pure worry and concern on Papyrus' face. Undyne, however, didn't look all that angry with your slightly wavering tone. In fact, she looked over the moon.

"Monster battles are awesome! Okay, so, I'll pull out your SOUL, and you get to attack first. We each take turns, and whoever goes down first- no, not literally, just whoever taps out first- loses!"

"D-Date Friend, you aren't actually wanting to do this, are you?" Papyrus nervously tapped his bone fingers together; giving you a pleading look. "You said you didn't think you could handle it, and Undyne is known to, er, not have much self control."

"HEY!" Undyne protested, reaching over and pulling Papyrus up from the ground for a noogie. "I have plenty of self control!"

"Please do not noogie the skeleton!"

You chuckled, earlier panic washing away as Undyne cackled from Papyrus' compromised- and flailing- position. You took a moment to close your eyes and just breathe. Those days were far behind you now. It was perfectly fine for these two to have staring matches. They weren't about to hurt each other.

"Hey."

You made a choking noise in the back of your throat as your eyes flashed open to find a sleepy, pajama clad Sans in front of you. He must have woken up from all the shouting and finding you not in bed.

"You okay? Your bones seem a little  _ rattled. _ "

You stifled a snort behind your hand as Papyrus whipped his head around and downright glared at Sans. "Do not!! Not this early in the morning, brother!"

"Aww, but Paps-!"

"No! I forbid it! There will be a wonderful lack of puns this morning!" Papyrus stomped his foot on the ground repeatedly. It was funny looking, considering Undyne still had him in a headlock. You hid your smile behind your hand, snickering at Undyne's exasperated expression on her face.

Sans shrugged uncaring, moving to sit down next to you and sighed; tiredly rubbing his face. You felt another bite of guilt eat away at you for that. On top of helping you with your night terrors, Sans had two jobs that seemed to be trying to kill him with the workload they were giving him.   
  
He had confided to you in private that one job probably wouldn't be able to cover any future expenses with you being out of commission from work- Papyrus' money firmly being kept to only Papyrus' wants and needs as Sans didn't want his baby brother to have to worry about any living costs- and had taken up a second job last month.

You had tried to apologize for it multiple times, but he wasn't hearing any of it. You never stopped feeling the urge to do so, though. Sans glanced at you after rubbing his bones, giving you a reassuring smile. You weakly returned one; your heart not in it.   
  
You felt like garbage being unable to help with anything- most of your money having to go to the (mostly insurance covered but not fully) hospital bill; the rest needing to be saved for groceries and the like. Or so Sans claimed, even though he never asked you for money when going out for grocery shopping.

While sweet, it made you feel like a mooch.

“What were you guys yelling about anyway?” Sans questioned, looking up at the two dorks before you. Papyrus stilled, sweat covering his skull again as Undyne grinned and unknowingly tightened her grip around the younger skeleton’s neck.

“I was telling our nerd here about monster battles! I wanted to fight them and they said yes! Papyrus here is being a huge baby bones about it though.” Undyne suddenly let go of Papyrus to give a ‘what can you do?’ shrug; dropping him to the ground with a thud. You winced at the impact.

“With good reason, I think. Dunno how much of sparing they could handle right now, Undyne. Can’t you wait?” Sans reclined comfortably in his seat, unnoticably- to the two in front of you, anyways- sliding his hand behind your back to wrap around your hip comfortably. You hid a flush by turning to him with a look.

“I’ve been waiting for months for this nerd to get back on their feet! What do you think I’ve been doing?! Hounding them everyday?”

“I’ll be fine,” You consoled Sans by placing a hand on his knee. “I trust Undyne to not go too far- and I will admit, I’m curious about monster fights. It sounds really interesting compared to how humans fight each other.” You turned back to Undyne with a smile, and she gave you a huge, razor sharp grin in return.

“Heck yeah! C’mon you nerds; it won’t be long anyways. I’m sure I’ll cream them easily, fu hu hu!” She cackled with her hands on her hips, not seeing Papyrus sweat drop or Sans’ gaze grow dark.

Papyrus turned to you, fidgeting with his shirt again. “If you’re certain, Date-Friend, I suppose we cannot keep you…” Undyne reached down and slapped him on his, er, ‘back’- you should really study the names for bones with Toriel- enthusiastically.

“That’s the spirit!”

“We’ll be coming with you to supervise,” Sans included, giving Undyne a shrug as she looked up at him in surprise. “Gotta make sure you don’t go too far. Plus I hear the sun is supposed to be out all day. I could use a sunbathe while I nap.”

“You lazybones.” Papyrus chided, shaking his head. You gave a weak smile to that, but kept your lips shut as Sans gently squeezed your hip. He didn’t need to know; it was okay. At least Sans had today off from both jobs. And, honestly, you could do your best to keep Papyrus from hounding him too much so he did get proper rest. 

“Well hurry up and get ready, you two! I’ve got a match with the human in a few!” Undyne ordered; grabbing your form and hoofing it up to your room to make you move faster. Sans and Papyrus shook their heads as they watched you plea for mercy.

You felt like you were going to regret this.   
  


 

* * *

 

 

“All right nerd; stand over there!”

After getting ready in a- forcibly thrown at your face- pair of shorts and biker tank that you certainly don’t ever remember buying, Papyrus drove you all to a secluded area about an hour down the main road headed in the direction of Mount Ebott.

The chosen fighting ring was very large and cleared rather nicely; leaving nothing on the ground besides leaves and grass. All twigs, rocks, and other potentially dangerous items were swept to the side in a ironically circle formation in the clearing; making it more and more like a ring. The only major thing in the area was a fallen tree stump that Sans and Papyrus were sitting on to watch you two go at it.

You moved to the spot Undyne pointed to, gladly leaning on your cane for assistance. Your body was already starting to feel a slight strain from walking out here on your own- denying all three of your friend’s offers to carry you. You wanted to walk to stretch before doing anything strenuous, but now you were regretting that decision.

“Okay! I’m going to pull out your SOUL now. You remember how it felt last time right?” Giving a nod to the fish woman, you stood straight and prepared. You didn’t know what to expect for the most part, but you didn’t want to be caught fully unawares. Especially in your condition.

“Good luck Date-Friend! Good luck Undyne!” Papyrus cheered from the sidelines, waving his glove covered hand around. You waved back at him with a smile. Sans gave you a smile and a thumbs up as Undyne cracked her knuckles with a ferocious grin; her one eye glinting in excitement.

“All right punk; let’s  _ go! _ ”

Undyne thrust her fist forward, sharp talon like nails extended before pulling it back; an ever increasing pressure rising in your chest before popping out with a small puffing noise. Before you, just like last time, was your glass covered SOUL, shining a brilliant lava lamp-esque style of orange, red, and yellow.

Looking around, you found yourself unable to see Sans or Papyrus- only the white outline of Undyne herself against an all black background. She was excited, her hair whipping around her as she bounced up and down impatiently. “Your move punk!”

Move?

Were you just supposed to attack her or…?

Your mind stopped for a moment as words flowed into your head; orange glowing boxes filling your vision. FIGHT, ACT, ITEM, MERCY. You were confused; what even were these things?

...Well. Undyne said she wanted to fight, right? So did she mean this FIGHT?

As if on autopilot, you watched your SOUL flicker over to the FIGHT box and pressed down; a new screen with a line sliding very fast through it. You were uncertain what to do. It passed by without any trouble; the word ‘Miss!’ floating into your head.

What.

“Aw, giving up already?” Undyne teased, unphased and unharmed. She took a look at you before pursing her lips. “Oh right. You probably don’t know what you’re doing, huh?”

“Not a damn clue,” You replied with a grin, chuckling to yourself. Undyne gave a wicked grin, stretching her arm out to the side in a rapid motion; her fingers curling into a fist as electric blue energy swirled and formed like electricity in her grip. You watched in awe as it formed into a spear, clapping when she held it out proudly. “That was cool!”

Undyne snickered, raising the spear high into the air. “Wait until you see this!” And in one fluid arc, she slashed the spear forward, against but not hitting your SOUL whatsoever. However, before you could even think of teasing her for missing, your SOUL gave a sharp ‘ding!’ sound and stilled in its place; turning a solid vibrant green.

“Fu hu hu! As long as you’re green, you can’t escape!”

You blinked in surprise as your body also felt incapable of moving; twitching your body doing nothing to release you from the sudden bind. In another instance, however, a green transparent shield coalesced over your left arm. You looked to Undyne in confusion.

“That’s your human SOUL taking shape to protect yourself,” She explained, standing tall and proud. “Nothing to do with my magic. You’ll be able to turn to block my attacks, but that’s really about it.”

You shrugged, and took another look at the shield. It didn’t seem all that… strong. You hoped that it would hold.

“Now, it’s my turn.” Undyne smirked, reaching out her right hand as tiny spears started heading in your direction at different speeds from all around you. A quick glance from behind confirmed that there was even one headed towards your unprotected back.

They were all ridiculously at a slow pace, however, and you idly wondered if things would speed up soon.

You took your time in turning to each one; blocking them all with your shield. It didn’t seem too hard at the moment, which was nice. Your body didn’t even feel like it had any strain on it right now, and it felt fantastic. Maybe you should do these more often?

As the final one hit your shield, you were turned back to face Undyne; the bright orange boxes from earlier blipping in front of your eyes again. Your SOUL pressed down on the FIGHT button again, and as the line raced across the weird background colours, your SOUL pressed down again a bit before the line reached the centre; the heart shaped container giving what looked like a punch towards the fish monster.

Undyne didn’t move out of the way, instead getting hit for forty something; her body shaking momentarily for the hit. “Nice one! You’re getting the hang of it!”

Her hand stretched out again as tiny spears made their way towards you; adding a little more than the singular ones that came last time. It was a bit difficult to manage, but you successfully blocked all of them by the end of her turn.

Curiosity eating at the edges of your mind, you watched as your SOUL moved to the ITEM box, only for it to not do anything. You figured it was because you had nothing on you at the moment, and shrugged; moving to the ACT button instead.

What you could only refer to as ideas blipped before you as the boxes vanished; Check, Flirt, Plead, and Challenge. Your SOUL danced between Check and Flirt, your grin growing cheeky as it settled on the latter of the two.

“Gosh, Undyne,” You began, putting your hands behind your back as your eyes glittered in amusement. “You're so beautiful that you made me forget my pickup line.” You added in a wink for extra effect, losing your flirtatious demeanor as you began to snort and laugh horribly loud at Undyne’s confused and highly conflicted expression.

“Uh,” Was her only response as she sent out a third wave of tiny spears at you. You saw the words ‘Undyne is confused! Her defense and attack have decreased!’ before vanishing and leaving you to defend yourself once more.

Unfortunately, you have a habit of closing your eyes while you laugh, and two spears shanked you in the side of your SOUL while you weren’t watching. You immediately winced and moved to the final spear headed your way, grumbling and rubbing your side. “That hurt.”

Undyne snorted as her arm that held on to her spear lashed out again, turning your SOUL back to its original colour. You let out a sigh of relief as the shield disappeared from your arm, and you felt your body now respond to all of your movements, rather than simple turns.

“You’re a weird one, all right. Though I’m not surprised; Frisk flirted with me too. Though it was after we battled.” You grinned again, snickering at the thought of the adorable tyke giving Undyne finger guns. What a dork. “How are you feeling though? Wanna keep going?”

Taking in the offer seriously, you moved and twisted your body; your SOUL’s light brightening and dimming on beat with your movements. That was interesting. But you were getting a bit tired, and those spears hurt a bit…

“Uh, nah; I think I’m good. I’m a bit hungry anyways.” You patted your stomach as your SOUL flickered over to the MERCY box; pressing down on the Spare option that was given. Undyne made a movement before your SOUL pushed back into your chest seamlessly.

However, as soon as it moved back in, your body collapsed to the ground, suddenly feeling all the pain that you hadn’t been earlier. You heard worried yelps and were soon lifted up by what felt like Papyrus; curled and tucked safely against his chest plate (having changed back into his Battle Body in case anything went wrong).

“D-Date-Friend-?”

“Pal, you okay?”

“Hey, punk, answer us; I didn’t hit you  _ that _ hard! You were just fine!”

You held up a hand as your body slowly eased its pains from moving so much so suddenly; taking in deep breaths. Thankfully the pain was receding, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like a bitch.

“I’m… I’m okay. I think I just moved too much too soon, hah.” You gave them a tired smile, leaning against Papyrus’ chest. “I’ll just take a nap in the car. I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t scare us like that, pal,” Sans reprimanded, tapping your nose as punishment. “I know you’ve been falling for us, but we can’t have you falling for Undyne too.”

You snickered as Papyrus gave Sans a hard look, Undyne surprisingly crossing her arms and replying, “I may have to end up sweeping you up off your feet if you keep falling for me, nerd."

Your jaw dropped as she snatched you out of Papyrus’ arms and ran like hell was on her heels out of the clearing towards the car. “Catch me if you can, nerds! Ahahaha!”

You watched from over Undyne’s shoulder as Papyrus snatched up your cane and Sans before racing after you; both calling for Undyne to wait. You smiled and laughed as Undyne dodged any and all obstacles out of the way; bursting through a bush and landed safely next to the car and gently plopping you inside, while the brothers burst out and tumbled to the ground in a heap of bones.

“Looks like it’s their turn to be falling for us,” You teased, smiling over at Undyne. She guffawed as the brother’s chuckled from the ground and got up; dusting themselves of leaves and dirt.

“Oh!” Papyrus blinks as he looked down at his leg before looking up at you with a very bright blush. “It seems I have scraped my patella while falling for you!”

You burst out laughing as Sans looked proudly at his brother- who was looking like he was beginning to regret his joke- and Undyne groaned good naturedly. “All right you lovebirds; get in the car so we can go eat. And do literally anything other than this.”

You wiped your eyes clear of tears as the others piled in and started the car.

You loved your new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys want to make fanart, feel free! (They make me cry- so be prepared for tears.)
> 
> Send them to:  
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301
> 
> Also!  
> Feel free to go to my Tumblr for fanfic updates- under the tag "Fanfiction Update". It'll make it a lot easier for me and you guys to know what's up, since I can't just post an author's note on here.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lesson with Toriel and Frisk leads to a talk with Frisk and a certain ooey-gooey monster...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS SHIT COMING
> 
> HAH
> 
> I rule.
> 
> Just kidding. I'm just really thankful that Luna (my writing bestie and platonic Bae) wanted to see how this chapter was going and had me upload it to Google docs so I actually had a chance to look it over when my computer died.
> 
> Ah yes, if you haven't heard the news-
> 
> My computer died! Dead as a doornail. My mother is actually going to take it in today to see if we can fix it, and if not, we're going to buy a super cheap ass one. Which I'm not looking forward to for a multitude of reasons.
> 
> But anyways; yay for updates! And broken computers, I guess. I've been feeling super restless without my ability to write or draw on my tablet, so I made myself remake this chapter. Like thirty times. I have a plan for how everything's going to go, so hopefully it works out!
> 
> Also; when I get my computer back, I'll be revisiting early chapters and editing them. After a few comments about how it didn't flow super well (nothing hateful I promise- they were actually really helpful!) and my own want to revise a few things, I decided that I'll be changing some small things here and there to make it nicer to look at and understand. So there's that to look forward to!
> 
> Also also (I really hate that I have to do this) but considering the fact of my computer issues, I have decided to start commissions! (When I get my/a computer back, obviously.) Haven't decided on prices just yet, but I will be doing art and story commissions! More details to follow, so if you feel like commissioning me, let me know at my email! (I'll post it on the bottom notes for you guys- when commissions are open of course. No need to say anything now when nothing is solid.)
> 
> I think that's everything... All additional info will probably be on my tumblr- so if you have ANY questions, please feel free to ask me there! :D
> 
> Without further adieu... Story time dearies!! <3  
> \-----

You scratched your head in thought as you looked down at the paper that was causing you such confusion. Honestly, why did it matter that you had to know _this_ , of all things?

“Is there something you do not understand, dear?” Toriel called from her seat, giving a light frown of concern. You shook your head, giving a light huff of laughter as Frisk stuffed their tiny mouth full of cherries.

“Naw, I’ve got it. Just wondering how this could be applied to everyday use. Seems pointless for me to learn, to be honest.”

Toriel hummed, walking over to you as she looked down at the paper. It was covered in your chicken scratches- compared to Toriel’s lovely and graceful cursive strokes- and doodles that you had made while lost in thought.

“Well, I know it is not your current job, but think of this,” Toriel stood at full height with a proud smile. “Think of it as if you were a scientist- like Alphys is, only for aquatic life here on the surface. You would need to know that energy from the sun is taken up by the,” She paused, looking down at the word. “ _Plankton,_  which is then transferred to other life forms that consume those plankton.”

You rubbed your temples, nodding a bit. You really wish you had had a better education as a kid- it just seemed so hard to grasp now as an adult. Frisk patted your arm consolingly with a sympathetic smile and you chuckled; ruffling their hair a bit.

“Thanks kiddo. I appreciate it.” They huffed through their nose, grinning wide.

As you filled out the rest of the “lesson work” Toriel had given you- it seemed she planned on giving you more than just sign language lessons, and instead wanted to give you the full education you sorely missed- you all talked and enjoyed each others company. It was a lovely reprieve from all the hubbub that had been going on, and you couldn’t be happier.

Well. That was debatable, considering your thought process as of late.

While you chatted with your two companions, your mind wandered. There were so many questions you needed to ask Sans- and maybe even Papyrus- about life around the Underground and their personal “baggage”.

Your curiousity was ebbing away at you. What was the inside of Mt. Ebott _like?_ Sure, the stories from Frisk settled some curiousity, but you had a gut craving to go see it for yourself. It was like an itch you couldn’t scratch.

And then there was the deal with Gaster. While you knew he had been in the accident, and was essentially erased from time and everyone’s minds and memories, you couldn’t help but question _why_ you could see him. What made you so special? Or was it just him trying to contact you? Did he control that?

Too many questions, never enough answers. You suppose you could just ask the ooey-gooey monster himself, but it seemed too… personal to talk about. Some lines weren’t meant to be crossed, afterall.

You were brought out of your musings from a tap on your elbow. You looked over to see a concerned look on Frisk’s cherub face, and you were about to console them that you were alright when you noticed their gaze wasn’t on you, but your paper.

Looking down, you noticed you had been doodling little Gasters everywhere.

Shit.

“Heh, whoops. Must’ve zoned out,” You gave an awkward laugh as you quickly erased all the tiny doodles before giving the paper to Toriel, and stretched. “So how about that next lesson?”

You could feel Frisk’s questioning gaze on you as you grinned uncomfortably at Toriel- who seemed to be none-the-wiser at your internal screaming.

“If you are prepared, then the next lesson will be learning the sign language alphabet. I have prepared a cheat sheet for you to take home and practice with; feel free to look over it now.”

Toriel handed you a piece of paper that had the letters and their corresponding hand sign with them. You took a moment to oggle at how similar they were to Gaster's sign language- wing dings, if you were correct.

You really hoped you didn’t slip into using those while practicing. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Frisk suddenly sat straight in their seat, snapping their fingers as if to say, “Ah-ha!”, and grinned widely at you. It was kind of frightening how a nine year old could have such a… Flirtatious gaze.

Were you going insane? Probably.

Frisk started signing to Toriel, their grin never leaving their face as Toriel’s mouth slowly curled into a smile with every sign Frisk made. She snorted, covering her mouth as she gave a rather oddly sounding bleat like laughter.

“O-oh, my child, you’re quite right. Ah, please excuse me, dear. Frisk has brought it to my attention that a certain holiday is around the corner. What is it called? ‘Valentine’s day’?”

Oh.

_Oh._

You were pretty sure your whole body went rigid as your face turned thirteen shades of red from the wiggly eyebrowed Frisk, and sly knowing look from Toriel.

Coughing into your hand, you look away from their piercing gazes and gave a nervous laugh. “A-aha, y-yeah. Nearly forgot that was coming up soon. Heh.”

Toriel giggled with Frisk before gently patting your hand, sighing softly. “Do not fret dear, we are merely teasing. However, Frisk does not know much about the holiday, and I’m afraid we monsters don’t either. Could you explain some?”

Sighing, and resigning yourself to your red faced fate, you scratched your cheek with your free hand.

“Uh, let’s see…” You didn’t know much either, but you knew enough. Lore didn’t really matter, right? “It’s really just a holiday about showing the one you’re with that you love and appreciate them.”

You chuckled, remembering when Chance had thrown a fit as a kid when be found chocolate- the good kind- and practically threw it at you with reddened cheeks.

“Basically, couples day. Really just a way for stores to sell a lot of chocolate and sweets- and the day after Valentine’s day is just half price on all chocolate and sweets. Best day year round to buy candy.”

“Oh how wonderful!” Toriel chirped, clapping her paws together. “I wonder if I should implement it in the school; no doubt the children would have a fun time with it.”

Frisk nodded eagerly, no doubt already having plans to throw every ounce of candy they could find down their throat. Or, your mind paused, a day to flirt with other single kids.

Frisk was weird. But a great kind of weird.

“I’m sure they would; I think I remember my siblings always talking and making their crushes cards and gifts when I was younger.” You scratched your head, remembering very vaguely of your eldest sister making paper mache hearts.

“Siblings? I didn’t know you still had family dear.” Toriel looked surprised, and you lowered your head in embarrassment. Oops.

“U-uh, yeah. I have family. I just… we don’t talk. Never had a way to communicate- a-and we weren’t exactly on the best terms…” You pursed your lips in thought, thinking back to the day they kicked you out.

Ahh memories.

“Oh, I see.” Toriel looked saddened for a moment before brighting up considerably. “Well no matter! We are your family now, and I am quite happy with you being here now.” She stood and placed a chaste kiss on your head before mentioning about making some pie for a snack.

Your mind was busy whirling around.

 _Family._  You had a family again.

It was so strange to really think about. They had accepted you so easily- _so_ easily- you were… amazed. Astonished.

You felt tears coming to your eyes.

Huffing with a smile, you quickly ruffled Frisk’s hair to wipe off their concerned look before sneakily wiping your eyes.

“Heh. I like the sound of that.”

Frisk grinned wide, burrowing themselves into your side with a wide grin, which you happily returned.

Yeah. Family was a great word for it.

Quickly taking a paper and pencil, Frisk wrote down a few words before making the hand motions that corresponded with them.

_“I need to talk to you later about something important. Can you ask if you can sleep over?”_

Huh. Interesting…

Shrugging, you gave a nod with a smile. “Sure thing. Hey, Toriel, could I stay over for the night? Frisk and I have plans for stuff that we need to talk about.”

Toriel hummed, tapping her furry chin. “It’s Thursday night, so I suppose so. But no staying up later than ten o’clock, alright? You need to get up early tomorrow for school, Frisk.”

Frisk gave an arm pump of joy before grabbing your hand and taking you upstairs to their room.

“Do make sure to tell Sans and Papyrus before too long!” Toriel called from the kitchen, causing you to fish out your phone and type up messages to the brothers.

After receiving the a-okay from both- Papyrus wishing he could join you both, and Sans making a sleep-over pun- Frisk sat you down on their bed and closed the door; quickly giving a look around the room before bringing out paper, a pencil, and a clip board.

They bit their lip before sitting down in front of you and started writing. You waited patiently by looking around the tiny, but comfortable room.

The walls were a dark blue colour- as well as the floor, though a darker, navy shade. Complete with a rug and various drawings taped on the walls, it was a nice and quiet room that seemed to compliment Frisk’s happy and bright personality.

Frisk finally passed you the clip board with the paper attached to it, and you were startled to find not words, but a rather in depth drawing of Gaster.

Swallowing, you gave Frisk a concerned look. “Frisk, do you know… Gaster?”

They nodded, looking almost relieved, before starting to sign.

It took you a moment, but you realized they were signing _wing dings._

 _“I’ve known him for a while. We met in the Underground. It… we didn’t really…”_ Frisk paused, looking rather sad. _“He and I didn’t really… like each other when we first met.”_

That was a surprise. Who wouldn’t like Frisk? I mean, sure, humans and monsters were at odds, but…

 _“He… hated me for the longest time. I didn’t really understand why until about a year ago. Um…”_ Frisk sighed, before tapping their shoe on the ground twice- the same way you did when calling for Gaster.

He appeared slowly from the ground; a pained look on his face as he looked over at Frisk. Seems he must have been listening in.

 _“I do sorely apologize for those days, dear child. I do hope you could ever forgive this foolish old man.”_ Frisk shook their head before taking hold of Gaster's floating hand with a smile.

Gaster patted their tiny hands with his own, giving back a small smile. He then turned to you with an apologetic look and began to sign.

_“We thought since you were part of the family, and have more than proved yourself to be very loyal, that we would tell you our story, human. It is only fair.”_

“Only fair? Fair for what?” You questioned, frowning. Gaster and Frisk both looked sheepish as Gaster signed.

_“I… may have told them a bit of your story. If only for them to understand you. I apologize if I overstepped any bounds.”_

Frisk quickly joined in, _“It was my fault too! I kept asking, I was just… really curious about you.”_ Frisk flushed on their cheeks, looking down at the ground. _“I… may have been the reason Gaster went after you in the first place.”_

Ah. So _that_ explains that.

Chuckling, you shook your head, “No harm done, don’t sweat it. I’m glad to have a guardian on my side- and hey! You made a pretty good choice considering that Gaster helped me out with my… situation.”

Frisk smiled widely, giving a nod. Gaster signed, shaking his head before signing, _“Would you mind hearing our story, dear human? I will only tell you should you wish it. There are other things that need to be discussed afterall.”_

Other things? You hummed, tapping your chin. Quickly checking your phone, you noted that it was around eight thirty seven.

“Doesn’t seem like we have a lot of time before bed, so probably not tonight. Maybe during the weekend? Or some time when we’re all free?” The two gave nods of agreement before sharing wicked smiles.

Oh dear.

 _“Frisk has told me of a human holiday of love that I was not previously aware of,”_ Gaster's sly smirk made you want to think otherwise. _“It has come to my attention that you are to show your beloveds that you enjoy and appreciate their presence, yes?”_

These two were going to be the death of you, you could feel it in your bones.

Giving a reluctant nod, you squinted your eyes at the two of them. “Yeah… why? What are you two planning?”

Frisk grinned wide, _“We want to help set up a date between you, Uncle Sans, and Uncle Papyrus!”_ Gaster nodded in agreement, the same sly look still on his face.

“What kind of date? And how do you know they’ll go for it anyways?” Knowing how lazy Sans was, it would be a miracle if Papyrus- or even yourself- could convince him to put on a suit again. Papyrus probably wouldn’t be too much of a hassle though.

The twin eagerly sly looks the two were sharing were starting to creep you the heck out, that was for sure. And you knew by that alone that this was going to be one heck of a holiday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \-----
> 
> If you want to make me fanart- feel free! Send it to my stuff:
> 
> KagedBird -Tumblr
> 
> Kagster301 - DeviantART
> 
>  
> 
> Also! Feel free to check my Tumblr for updates on Precious People. Check the “fanfiction update” tag for anything you need to know!


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of... Something cheesy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of bad news, my computer can’t be fixed. So I’ll be having to just buy a cheap-o crappy one for the time being. I will let you know when I do get it, but for now, take these as an apology! <3

Your expression was deadpanned as you stood on the platform with your arms spread out; carefully being dressed to perfection by the gorgeous and well-known celebrity, Mettaton.

“Come now darling, smile! This is a grand affair after all. You’re getting an outfit from me!”

You huffed, turning and glaring at the bot as he “accidentally” stuck you with a pin, just barely restraining yourself from flipping him off.

“I’m not exactly the kind of person who likes getting all dressed up, thanks. Or turned into a pin cushion.” You swatted his hand from your body as he made a move to lightly stick you again as a reprimand.

He chuckled, waving your words away easily. “If you didn’t keep wiggling dear, I would be done much sooner and you wouldn't get turned into a pin cushion. Especially with that snarky mouth of yours.”

You rolled your eyes, making mocking mouth movements to Frisk, causing them to stifle their giggles behind their tiny hands.

You smiled softly at the child. It was really only because of them that you even agreed to getting fitted for a new outfit.

According to the plan they and Gaster had set up, you would be getting a new fancy outfit to wow the brother’s with. Then you would all go to get some light food before going over to a nearby Aquarium that had opened up last year.

You were pretty excited for it. Ever since you had taught yourself to read- with a little help from Chance and sometimes your siblings- you had been enamoured with aquatic life.

Sharks were beautiful, misunderstood creatures that were fast and powerful, whales were _enormous_ creatures that were so gentle and kind; puffer fish were absolutely hilarious when they expanded, and stingrays were cute and happy under water birds.

Marine life was fun, new, and exciting to you.

Frisk and Gaster had brought it up when talking about date specifics, and where to’s, you couldn’t help but gush about it. They teased you for a bit, bringing out _fishy_ puns and promises of fish related presents in the future.

Shaking your head at the memory, you came back to the present as Mettaton mumbled to himself and worked on your outfit.

When it was complete, it was going to be navy, knee length shorts with pin stripes down the sides, a biker tank top that had dolphin’s on the left breast, and a thin, red and gold jacket that had a skeleton cross and bones stitched on the back.

You nearly smacked Mettaton when he announced that with such a cheeky grin. You instead smacked yourself as your face bloomed red, and he teased you in a sing song voice.

Damn these monsters and their ability to embarrass you so easily.

“Frisk, be a dear and grab the scissors from my desk please.” Mettaton called out as he held a stray string from your shorts. Frisk hopped off the couch and quickly ran to the desk; making sure to take it slower with the scissors in hand.

Mettaton gently took the scissors from Frisk’s tiny hands and clipped the string off with a simple snip. He gave Frisk a wide grin before patting their head.

“Simply wonderful, my dear! Oh it’s coming together so wonderfully.” Mettaton stood from his crouched position to turn you towards the mirrors; eagerly showing you off to yourself.

You didn’t have the jacket on yet, but even without it, it looked… Simple. Yet appealing. You smiled approvingly as you gave him a nod.

“Thanks for this. It looks great.”

Mettaton laughed, waving his hand flippantly. “Oh please dear, it’s no trouble. Anything for a friend of Frisk’s!” He paused, stars seeming to shine around his metallic face. “And of course anything _I_ make is going to be great.”

You and Frisk sweatdropped at his comment before shaking your heads.

Mettaton chuckled lightly before shooing you away. “I already have all the measurements I need for your jacket, so feel free to go walk around for a bit. It’ll take around twenty minutes at most, so I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

He shooed you into the changing room before tossing in your clothes after you, somehow managing to make them all hit you in the face.

Sputtering, you grumbled about annoying robots as you got dressed. Feeling a vibration from your pants pocket, just as you were slipping them on, you pulled out your phone and pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

 _“Oh good, you answered! I was getting w-worried.”_ Alphys sighed into the speaker, and you frowned.

“Is something wrong? Do you need help?”

_“W-well, no, not exactly? I-I just… needed advice… on the human holiday?”_

Oh, that was a relief. You thought someone was injured. Putting the phone between your ear and your shoulder, you skillfully slid your head and torso into your shirt.

“Alright, lay it on me.”

 _“U-um, w-well,”_ You waited a moment as Alphys collected her thoughts, jamming your feet into your combat boots.

 _“I-is there really anything you_ have _to do on the day? Specifically?”_ You hummed, giving it a quick thought.

“No, not really. Hell, a lot of people _don't_ even do Valentine’s day.” There was a day specifically for singles, there were people who hated chocolate; something called aromantics, or people who just didn’t care.

Those who did it just tended to be louder about it than those that don’t.

Alphys sighed in relief. _“Oh thank god. I’ve been kind of stressing out about it, because Undyne’s been so excited, and I just don’t really know what to do-!”_

“Whoa, whoa, Alphys, slow down.” You winced at the poor dino-lizard’s near hyperventilating state, pulling back the curtain of the changing ‘room’.

“It's going to be okay. If Undyne’s that excited about it, then I’m sure she has something planned. If you’re unsure, just ask. There’s nothing wrong with that.” You ruffled Frisk’s hair as they walked beside you, chuckling as they gave you a wide grin.

 _“I-I just don’t want to disappoint her…”_ You frowned again at the poor girl’s tone, shaking your head (even though she couldn’t see it).

“I may not have known you all for more than two months and a couple of weeks, but if I know anything about Undyne, it’s that _you_ of all people could never disappoint her. Just try your best and have fun. It’s about you guys as a couple. Okay?”

 _“You’re really good at comforting people.”_ Frisk signed, with a bright smile. You flushed, and gave another chuckle before signing ‘Thanks’.

_“A-alright. You’re right! I-I should… I should trust myself more. I won’t be a disappointment. I… still have no plans, but even so, we could just… have a date night of our own?”_

You grinned wide as you and Frisk stopped at the Nice Cream stand for a treat. “There you go! That’s the spirit! Maybe you could surprise her with something cheesy. Roses or something. Research it like it’s a science project or something! You do that right?”

 _“Y-yeah!_ _I’ll do it! I’ll go research it right now.”_ A small pause occurred before she sighed. _“Th-thanks for the help. You’re a great friend.”_

You shook your head dismissively, paying for the Nice Cream as Frisk signed ‘thank you’ to the bunny monster. “Just helping a friend out, no thanks needed. Good luck okay?”

 _“Yeah, th-thanks. I’ll do my best!”_ She ended the call with a click, and you slid your phone back in your pocket.

 _“Alphys needed help?”_ Frisk signed with their nice cream half way in their mouth. You snorted, giving a nod.

“Just some advice. She was getting stressed out over Valentine’s day. Apparently Undyne is getting really hyped up about it.”

Frisk smiled knowingly- after they pulled their treat from mouth- before taking your free hand and lacing their fingers with yours.

God damn this kid was adorable. You idly wondered if you should make something quick for them for Valentine’s day too. Knowing that it wasn’t just for couples, and it wouldn’t hurt to make the kid smile.

With that thought in mind, you hoofed it to the closest store with a smile on your face. Frisk looked up at you in confusion, but you paid it no mind as you immediately headed for the gift cards section.

Finding it with a small ‘aha!’, you led the kid to the cards and grinned wide. “One of my older brother’s favourite thing about Valentine’s day was making cards for his friends. We didn’t have much, but he saved up money for a small crayon packet and a ton of paper to hand make cards.”

Frisk’s mouth parted in an ‘ooh’ fashion, looking around the large display of cards.

“Valentine’s day isn’t just about giving your partners love. It could be your family too!” You searched for a moment before picking out a card, and handed it to Frisk- who cleaned off their slightly sticky hands before grabbing it and opening it.

It was one of the various pun cards on the shelf- but Valentine’s day related. “You should get it for your mom- or heck, even make her one. I’m sure she’d love it!”

Frisk’s eyes sparkled in delight before they quickly rammed their tiny body into your leg; giving it a tight hug. You blinked in surprise before smiling softly and patted their head.

“Something up? Not that I mind the hug, but…”

Frisk shook their head, giving a small sniffle sound before pulling away. They looked like they were holding back tears, and you didn’t stop yourself from picking them up and holding them in your arms.

“We can talk about it later then. How about we look for some cheesy stuff for the brother’s, huh?” Frisk giggled silently and nodded as you two peered through the various cards for a few minutes- making sure to find the _perfect_ ones- before stalking over to the candy section.

It was roughly twenty five minutes later that Mettaton called to let you know your jacket was finished. You paid for the candy and cards before going back to his studio and grabbed the clothes.

With promises to call and let him know how the date goes- and Frisk giving him a card and a piece of candy (which he returned with a tight hug and kiss on their cheek)- you walked with Frisk in tow to Toriel’s to drop them off.

“So what do you think kiddo? Am I ready for the date tomorrow?” You smiled softly as Frisk nodded their head rapidly; clenching their tiny hands into fists.

_“Yes! I’m sure the date will be great! I hope Uncle Papyrus and Uncle Sans are surprised. I haven’t been able to talk to them much about the surface, so I think they’ll like the animals.”_

You hummed, opening the gate to Frisk’s house before leading the child to the door. “Well I’m glad. And hey, maybe during the summer we can all go to a beach or something. That’d be fun.”

Frisk smiled softly and nodded before yawning as you knocked on the door. Toriel opened it not too long after, and happily scooped her child up.

“Welcome home, my children. Did you have a lovely day out?” Frisk nodded and made a grabby hand motion to the bag you were holding, causing you to laugh.

Fishing out the punny card and a small treat, you handed it to Frisk, who handed it to Toriel. She blinked in surprise before carefully balancing Frisk in her arms and opened the card up.

“‘I _lava_ you!’ Oh Frisk, that’s so adorable!” Toriel snorted as she held Frisk close to her; giving a happy bleat of laughter. Frisk grinned, snuggling close to their mother, and you smiled.

“Thank you for taking them out today, my child. I do hope you have a lovely date tomorrow.” You nodded and quickly handed Frisk the other cards and treats before taking your leave; humming a quiet tune as you walked home.

It was a long walk, but you didn’t feel any worry with Gaster walking with you in your shadow. You had noticed that it was becoming easier and easier to see where he was at times- and you weren’t sure if it was his doing, or something else.

Either way, you felt safe with the void monster at your heels.

You two didn’t speak the whole trip, enjoying the silence after a long and rather loud day. Sighing in relief as you saw home, you hurried your pace to get inside.

Just as you reached the door, you noticed an extra card fell out of your bag, causing you to pause. Reaching down and back for it, you flinched in surprise as a ‘wind’ blew it open to reveal it.

_‘I got my ion you. Happy valentine’s day. -Gaster’_

You snorted before laughing behind your hand; quickly picking it up and placing it back in your bag. While you wanted to admonish him for the slight thievery, the fact that he thought about you was just… too sweet to scold.

“Thank you Gaster. Happy Valentine’s day to you too.” You gave your shadow a smile before opening the door, and walking in; announcing your arrival.

If you turned back, you would have noticed the faint outline of a slimy “puddle” that was Gaster as his cheekbones flushed purple before he vanished entirely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \-----
> 
> If you want to make me fanart- feel free! Send it to my stuff:
> 
> KagedBird -Tumblr
> 
> Kagster301 - DeviantART
> 
>  
> 
> Also! Feel free to check my Tumblr for updates on Precious People. Check the “fanfiction update” tag for anything you need to know!


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus' day with Sans as they get ready for Valentine's day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So remember when I said 'enjoy these' instead of 'enjoy this' last chapter? ;3 Well now you know why!
> 
> (It's mostly cause I really suck at planning things and keeping track of time 0w0")
> 
> Anyways!
> 
> The chapter is from Second Person / Papyrus’ POV!  
> Enjoy!

Papyrus was giddy.

Well, he was always giddy. But he was giddier for a very specific reason.

Frisk has just texted him that there was another human holiday coming up very soon! It was called, “Valentine’s day”.

They explained that it was customary to give your date friend chocolates, flowers, and take them on a date. Papyrus was nothing if not the best date friend, so these actions would come very easily!

However, Frisk explained that it wasn’t until the fourteenth. He pouted- as much as he could with bones and no lips- and held off on immediately dragging his brother and their date friend away on a beautiful sun and flower filled date.

Apparently Sans had gotten a similar text because after their date friend left to go out with Frisk, he hopped of the couch and motioned for him to follow.

“C’mon Paps’; we’ve got work to do.” Papyrus could have squealed.

“You? Doing work? This is the best day ever!” He knew Sans did actual work, but he couldn’t hold back the old teasing from when he knew his brother was nothing but a sack of lazy bones.

Sans chuckled, shrugging with a wink, and Papyrus nearly groaned. “What can I say? This holiday is bound  _ tibia _ good one!”

Papyrus, in fact, did groan.

Soon enough they were on their way to the human stores, checking off the list that Frisk had sent on what goodies to buy- chocolate, candy (the flowers would be delivered on Valentine’s day so as to surprise their date friend and so the flowers would not die early), and a plan for the date!

It wasn’t until they hid everything and settled down on their couch that they realized they had no idea what would be a good date plan.

“I’m telling you, brother! A walk in the park with the sun glowing perfectly on their skin as we enjoy each others company would be the best kind of date!” Papyrus crowed, waving his lanky bone arms around in excitement.

Sans shook his head, giving a chuckle. “I’m sure they’d appreciate something sentimental to them, and not just something they’ve seen on the TV, Paps.”

Papyrus pouted, crossing his arms with a huff. “Well, what did  _ you _ have in mind then?”

Sans shrugged, grinning wide. “Nothin’. I just think we should do something with their interests in mind, ya know?”

Papyrus sighed, uncrossing his arms. “Well  _ fine _ . We’ll do that then.” He paused, giving a weak smile as sweat drops occurred on his head. “What exactly are their interests again?”

Sans looked ready to reply before pausing himself, giving as much of a frown as he could. Giving a chuckle, he closed his eye sockets and leaned back into his seat in the couch.

“Beats me, bro.”

Papyrus could have wailed- the three of you have been together for nearly three months and he didn’t know a single thing about them!

And the holiday was  _ tomorrow! _

Sans leaned over and patted his knee cap, giving a sigh. “We’ll figure something out bro. Maybe we could gently question them? Or look around in their room for answers?”

Papyrus stood up suddenly, “What a wonderful idea brother! Their room certainly helped out last time, surely it can assist us once more!”

Sans chuckled behind him as he raced up the stairs and into his date friend’s room. Opening the door, he peeked around to get a glimpse before stepping fully inside.

The room was the same as always, though it seemed a little lifeless now that they had been spending bed time with Sans and himself. The bed was neatly made, the books on the shelves, though few as they may be, we neatly stacked away, and the desk was covered in what few papers they had.

Not wanting to be too nosy, he merely skimmed through the papers- documentations for work it seemed- before moving on to the books on the desk.

A few cook books he had let them borrow, a sign language book that Toriel had given them, a few class work books that Toriel had also given them…

“Oh? What is this?” Papyrus carefully shuffled the books over to find a small booklet that had nice colour patterns over it with the word “Aquarium” written at the top.

“What did ya find, bro?” Sans came up from behind him, peering around his arm. He showed Sans the pamphlet, letting him skim through it as he turned around to look once more at the pile of books on their date friend's desk.

“How odd to have something that tiny not on top of the stack! Were they perhaps trying to hide it?” Papyrus mused, putting a hand to his jaw.

Sans hummed, closing the booklet in his hands. “Probably something they were trying to hide or just something they forgot. Either way, they wrote stuff in it.”

Papyrus perked up at that, clapping his hands together. “Oh, do tell! What did they write?”

Sans glanced back at the pamphlet in his hands, shrugging. “Just stars and small notes of ‘this’. I think they wanna go to it, but… judging from the price, it’s a bit out of their pocket.”

Papyrus scoffed, snatching the pamphlet from his brother’s hands before turning to the price page. He hummed in surprise; admission fees were thirty dollars per person! No wonder you hadn’t gone yet, it was rather expensive for three people.

“Not to worry, we shall take care of that! I have been saving up some money for a new cookware dish to surprise our date friend, but this is much more important.”

Setting the pamphlet back where it was before in between the books- not until after he noted the address, though- he picked Sans up and carefully walked out of the room before closing the door; grinning widely down at his brother.

“Now we have acquired all the necessary items for the human holiday! Well done brother!” Setting his smaller sibling down, he stood up straight. “This calls for celebratory spaghetti!”

Hoofing it down the stairs, he immediately went into action; cooking up a storm for his precious date friend and his brother.

Piling spaghetti and alfredo sauce on the plate, he perked up at the sound of keys unlocking the door. His date friend was home!

Skipping out to meet them, he waited until they had stepped inside before sweeping them up in a large hug.

“Welcome home, dear human friend! How was your glorious day outside with Frisk?”

They smiled brightly, chuckling- at his antics no doubt- and gave him a kiss on the teeth that caused his magic to coil and burst forth with immense joy.

“It was hectic, but fun. Let me go change and put my stuff away so we can watch TV, alright?” He nodded, flushing on his cheek bones as he watched them carefully run up the stairs with two bags in hand. He idly wondered what those were, before turning back to the kitchen to grab everyone’s plates.

Sans talked to their date friend after they came back down, teasing them on their frazzled hair and pinked cheeks, as he passed out the pasta and drinks.

“Well,  _ so sorry _ that I was dragged around town by a hyperactive nine year old.” They sarcastically replied, sticking their tongue out at his brother before chuckling.

“What exactly did you two go do, human friend?” Papyrus asked before taking a bite of his expert pasta.

They chewed their own pasta for a bit before flushing, shaking their head. “Can’t tell you. ‘S surprise.” He whined pitifully as they skillfully dodged his puppy eyes by focusing on the TV. Drat. They were too good! But he was better.

“A surprise for what though? Is there a specific occasion, human friend?” Papyrus would admit he wasn’t the best at lying, but he’d been with Undyne long enough to know how to get information out of someone. Politely and not at all rudely, though.

They huffed, rolling their eyes. “I can’t tell you! Just make sure you’re not going anywhere tomorrow. Okay?”

“Why tomorrow, pal? I’ve heard some hubbub going down at my job. Somethin’ about… valour times day?” Papyrus had to physically hold back his excitement and snickers; Sans was an very skillful monster in the ways of getting information out of people.

He blamed that on how much time he spent with Grillby. Every monster knew how excellent he was at simply waiting patiently until you told him what was wrong.

Their date friend screwed up their lips in an obvious attempt to stop themselves from smiling, unable to as they fell into a fit of snickers.

“ _ Valentine’s  _ day, not  _ valour times _ day.” Papyrus grinned widely as he and his brother both watched their date friend try to stop their peels of laughter.

“I have not heard of that day! What is it? Should I get something for it? What do you do?” Papyrus easily asked in excitement, even though he already knew the answers.

Sans answered for their friend who was turning a little reddened in the cheeks. “I heard from some people that it’s a day specially made for kisses. Am I wrong on that too? Were ya planning on surprising us with kisses?”

Though he knew what it was really, Papyrus couldn’t hold back the magic flush on his cheek bones at the mention of kisses. Though he had no lips to perform the action, he loved it when his human friend placed their own soft lips on his teeth or skull. Kissing was certainly his favourite thing to do with his human.

“Wowie! A day just spent with  _ kisses _ ?” He quickly placed their plates on the coffee table before pulling the human close and nuzzled their head. “Human holidays are the best!”

They sighed from underneath him, and fell slightly limp in his arms- knowing it was pointless to try and pull away from him when he was eager- and laughed happily.

“You got me. It’s a day for kisses and hugs. But mostly kisses. Now what am I supposed to surprise you both with?” He could feel their lips curl into a smile as they called out “woefully” from his arms.

Sans hummed, giving a shrug as he placed his empty plate on the coffee table. “We could act surprised. No harm if no one knows, right?” He chuckled as their human snorted indignantly and pulled themselves from Papyrus’ arms.

“The surprise was for you two, goofballs.” They stretched and sighed as their bones popped- causing him and Sans to turn away with flushed cheek bones. He still had yet to understand why the sound was so… alluring in a weird way.

“Thanks for dinner, Pap. It was delicious.” They pecked his cheek bone, causing him to flush even brighter as his pupils turned into hearts; his magic manifesting into a physical, human soul shape above his head before popping.

They snickered good naturedly before doing the same to his brother, who turned a bright blue as he grinned wide and nuzzled their face with his teeth.

They turned pink as they laughed in delight before taking the dishes to the kitchen. Papyrus sighed softly, watching them go.

“We got pretty lucky, eh Paps?” Sans called quietly from beside him as the water from the sink turned on. Papyrus nodded excitedly, clenching his hands into fists.

“Absolutely brother! I cannot be happier than I am now. With myself, you, Frisk, and everyone from the Underground being on the surface, to us having a date friend- it is the most amazing thing in the world!”

Sans hummed and nodded in agreement, leaning back in the couch as he closed his eye sockets. Papyrus quieted for a moment, taking a good look at his brother.

It was obvious with how tired he was back in the Underground. The days that passed by only seemed to drain him more and more- and some days even Papyrus couldn't get him out of bed.

Papyrus had a feeling it had to do with the space time pranking shenanigans that his brother always got into. Frisk had given him more feelings that that had been the actual case. They just always seemed to… know what would happen. Perhaps they had been playing space time pranks on each other- and knowing how lazy Sans was, it probably took a toll on him.

But it all changed when they reached the surface. Sans seemed… dare he even  _ think  _ it, but Sans seemed  _ hopeful _ . More hopeful than he had in years.

And then he had mentioned about meeting a kind human at Grillby’s one day.

The spark in his brother’s pupils was more than enough reason to love the human that his brother had met. The usual calm smile was bigger and filled with curiousity, and Papyrus could feel his brother’s soul pounding with excitement. It was a dream come true for Papyrus that Sans had found someone- even if they had just met- that could pique his interest.

When Papyrus saw the battered human on their couch, his soul nearly gave out. Sans, though he didn’t show it, was a mess with worry. It was only when Toriel and Frisk came over did he calm down enough to explain that he found them bruised and beaten in an alleyway.

When they finally woke up and talked to him, Papyrus felt something from them that he hadn’t felt with anyone before- not even when he tried to force himself to do so with Frisk, or even when his closest bestie, Undyne!

He had found someone to love and cherish like in the date books he had found in the libabary down in the Underground, and the ones from the surface. It was all too exciting for him, especially since he could share them with Sans, his beloved brother.

It was a dream come true.

Even with all the human Chance stuff that occurred, and the HPP attacks that they had dealt with nearly everyday before they disbanded, he appreciated that the human was someone they could connect with.

It was, as Toriel explained to him, very important that monsters find their special someone so they could grow and live long with one another. So their souls could intermingle and bond. However, Toriel only remembered few human-monster relationships back before the war. She wasn’t entirely sure how bonding between their souls would work.

But Papyrus was determined to do whatever it took for the three of them to bond and grow together. It was important!

His human date friend came from the kitchen, yawning tiredly as they covered their mouth politely. Quick on his feet, he scooped Sans up into his arms before scooping them up as well- grinning as they squawked in surprise- and bounded up the stairs.

“Well shall all enjoy sleep together in your bed tonight, human friend! I read in a book that it was important for relationship growth.” He gently deposited his brother and date friend on the bed before claiming the farthest side of the bed.

Their human flushed brightly but sighed and soon joined him in laying down; Sans easily sliding on the other end of the bed near the edge, a book in hand as he began reading off the story of Fluffy Bunny.

After it ended, he flicked off the lights and slid into bed next to their human and closed his eyes to sleep.

“Goodnight Sans; human friend.” Papyrus whispered, giving his human a nuzzle on their head. They chuckled quietly before murmuring a ‘goodnight’ of their own.

He couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \-----
> 
> If you want to make me fanart- feel free! Send it to my stuff:
> 
> KagedBird -Tumblr
> 
> Kagster301 - DeviantART
> 
>  
> 
> Also! Feel free to check my Tumblr for updates on Precious People. Check the “fanfiction update” tag for anything you need to know!


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's day is here, along with the start of something more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man oh man. This thing took... Let's see, from 5 am to 11 am- roughly six whole hours to write.
> 
> The things I do for you guys ;3 honestly.
> 
> Well, I sure hope you all enjoy it. Hehe! <3
> 
> Happy Valentine’s day you adorable people. <3
> 
> \--------

By the moment you woke up, you were bouncing around as if you had ten cups of coffee. The brother’s watched amusedly as you bounced around the house; either setting out their outfits or “getting a few things ready”.

You stifled a sigh of relief as you finalized the cheesy Valentine’s day cards and stuck two candies on each one. Your chicken scratch, though assisted by the lovely Gaster to make it nicer, was still chicken scratch in your eyes, but the deed was done.

Getting up from your cross legged position on the floor, you shuffled out the Aquarium pamphlet and went to your bed to shove it into your jacket pocket.

Oh. Right. You still needed to get dressed in your outfit.

Going to your closet, you grabbed the clothes- politely asking Gaster to look away- before changing. You had already taken a shower earlier, but you didn't want the brother’s to see your outfit until it was time to go, so you put on a simple tank top and sweatpants.

Outfit ensemble (thanks to Toriel, for teaching you that word), check. Pamphlet and address, check. Cards…

You quickly snatched them up from the ground and carefully placed them into your pocket.

For shorts, they had really deep pockets. You might have to have Mettaton make you your clothing in the future…

Shaking the thoughts from your head, you took a deep breath to calm your frazzled state of mind and relax. It was only a day. And the date would go well!

Gaster gave you a smile as you looked over at him, patting your shoulder gently. _“All will be well, dear human. The day will go fine. No one will harm you, and you will enjoy your day out with Sans and Papyrus.”_

You gave him a wide grin and nodded. “Thanks, Gaster. Oh, hang on,” You quickly walked back to your bag of candy goodies and reach down to the bottom; snatching up a very hidden card.

Grabbing a few treats, you walked back over to Gaster and presented the card with the treats to him. “Happy Valentine’s day, Gaster.”

He flushed as his eyes widened. Gently taking the card and treats, Gaster opened up the card to see a teddy bear cut out pop up, with the words ‘I love you BEAR-y much!’

It was the best you could do, to be honest. There weren’t that many cards left at the store, considering.

The void monster closed the card and looked at the treats before bowing his head and pulling you into a hug. You laughed softly- hugging the emotional man close as he composed himself.

 _“Thank you, dear human. It has been a long time since anyone has done anything for me.”_ He signed after he pulled back, looking at the card like it was his greatest treasure.

You frowned slightly before perking up. “Well, that will change.” Glancing at the small digital clock on your desk, you hummed. “Time to go. We’ll talk more later, alright?”

He nodded, clutching the card and treats to his chest as you walked away and out of the room.

Stepping out, you saw Papyrus downstairs in the clothes you had set out for him; one of those “crop tops” that he loved to wear, shorts (although, they looked shorter than when you had set them out…), his usual black tights that he always wore, and his boots.

“You look great!” You cheered as you stepped down the stairs in glee. Papyrus jolted from his thoughts before looking over at you, flushing bright red. You tilted your head, confused. Was something wrong? You hadn’t even teased him yet!

“H-Hello date friend!” He exclaimed, standing ramrod straight from the couch. “Y-you look very nice today as well!” You gave a small, lopsided grin.

“Thanks. Mettaton is pretty great with making clothes. And look; he even stitched a skull and crossbones on the back!” You turned around and lifted the hood from your back to show off the great stitch work.

Papyrus clapped happily before you turned around. “How w-wonderful! M-Mettaton sure does have a way with clothing.”

You hummed in agreement, grinning wide as you turned back around. “So, where’s Sans?”

“Right here.” You whipped back around to see Sans standing behind you- where he certainly wasn’t moments before. Scowling slightly, you held your hand to your chest.

“I’m getting you a bell collar so you can’t do that anymore.” You took a moment to collect yourself and to asses his attire. Tank top hidden by his usual jacket, and shorts. You pouted slightly as he obviously ignored your attempts to colour match- his jacket was supposed to be the lighter one, not the winter wear.

“Ready to go?” You asked, knowing that it’s be just plain silly to ask him to change. It was fine; you were at least semi-colour matching. Mettaton said it was important to match, and while you didn’t care, you didn’t want word to reach that bot that you didn’t at least try.

“Go where, exactly?” Sans rebutted, giving a smirk. “I thought _valour times_ day was just for kisses.”

You sighed, biting the inside of your cheek to keep from smiling. “Valentine’s day. And it’s a surprise!” Before you made move to go out, you reached into your pocket and handed him his card- quickly handing Papyrus his own.

“What is this, date friend?” Papyrus blinked as he opened the card, gasping in surprise. “How adorable!”

Sans hummed in agreement as he opened his own, snickering. “Puns, huh? You sure know the way to my nonexistent heart.” You grinned widely, ignoring how flushed your cheeks were. They liked the cards! Success.

“Alright, cheesy step number two, done.” You puffed out your chest and placed your hands on your hips proudly. “Step number three; to the surprise!”

A knock sounded on the door, leaving you confused. Who was coming over? Quickly walking to the door, you opened it to find a mailman holding two vases of flowers- one with a single red rose, and the other filled with various flowers.

“Delivery for… two ‘Skeletons’?” You squinted as Sans and Papyrus eagerly peeked from around you. So they _did_ know about Valentine’s day?

“Yeah that’d be us. Thanks bud.” Sans nudged your arm gently, snapping you out of your thoughts. Reaching for the vases, you moved out of the way to set them on the table before walking back.

Deadpanned, you stared at your boys. Sans looked rather smug and calm while Papyrus looked ready to scream from nervousness.

“So you did know about Valentine’s day.” You spoke, making it clear it was a statement and not a question, as the answer was obvious. Sans shrugged while Papyrus flinched slightly, twirling his index fingers together.

“W-well, Frisk sent us a text about it, and I enjoy human holidays, so we researched it.” It hurt your heart to see Papyrus looking upset, so you dropped your stare and sighed softly.

“It’s alright Papyrus, I’m not mad. The teasing yesterday makes sense now...” You flushed, scratching your cheek. It was sweet that they wanted to let you have the reigns over the holiday. Or at least somewhat, with the surprise flowers and all.

Shrugging, you took their hands and led them out of the house; locking the door before heading to Papyrus’ hot rod.

Rattling off the address to Papyrus, you strapped yourself in for the ride.

 

* * *

 

“Welcome to the Alcove Aquarium!”

You couldn’t keep your excitement down as you walked hand in hand to the large tanks full of colourful fish. Various fish you had seen in books, other fish you’d only heard of- the grin would not leave your face.

“Looks like you’re already having a good time.” Sans commented from your left with a chuckle. You and Papyrus were certainly vibrating, and you couldn’t hold back a small snicker.

“Sorry, I just… really like fish. And Frisk told me you guys haven’t seen much of the surface despite being up here for so long, so…”

Sans waved it off as Papyrus gently squeezed your hand. “Fear not, date friend! This is a wonderful decision, and we appreciate it fully!”

You smiled over at him, squeezing his hand back. It was sweet of him to offer to pay, even though you had saved up plenty of money for the occasion. You figured you’d spend it on something else. Maybe a new cookware dish for him? He’d been wanting to try new things, after all.

The three of you casually walked around the aquarium, enjoying the sights of the fish and each others company. You occasionally pointed out a few fish, and always smiled wide whenever Sans or Papyrus pointed out a fish that they enjoyed.

“Eels always look like they made a bad joke,” You commented as one peeked out of its cave. Sans smiled wide as he laughed.

“Sounds a bit _fishy_ to me. _Eel_ be having a good time with me.” You snickered as Papyrus gave a quiet chuckle at the puns.

“He has a bit of an _electric_ personality, I think.” You quipped, glad that the info of the eel was right next to you to glance off of. The brother’s shared a look before laughing, tugging you off to another section of fish.

“So that thing is real? And is really that big?” Sans questioned, looking at the giant collection of whale bones on display. You nodded, leaning on the bar that kept people from getting too close to touch it.

“Yeah, apparently. They get pretty big, and sometimes they wash up on beaches. It’s pretty sad, but if humans ever find one, we usually help out.” You’d seen one occasionally on a random old newspaper once or twice. It always made you sad to hear that the gentle giants had gotten stuck.

“Date friend! Sans! Come look over here!” Papyrus caught your attention from the other side of the room (along with the other passersby, you noted), enthusiastically jumping around and pointing to his left.

Walking over, you saw what captured his attention; the exhibit for ‘larger than life sea creatures’. You smiled; maybe there’s be a chance you’d see Tim!

“Great idea Papyrus! C’mon!” Grabbing their hands you entered the darker section exhibit, ‘ooh’ing in delight at the aquatic life that darted past the glass walls.

You snickered as a boredly floating manatee looked over and twirled onto its back in passing. It came back, mushing its face into the glass wall as it tried to reach the three of you.

You motioned for the brothers to push their hands to the glass, and the manatee mushed his face again as it tried hard to be pet.

“He looks like he wants to be pet like a dog!” Papyrus crowed, grinning wide as he pet the glass. The manatee flipped its tail eagerly, floating back and forth as it enjoyed the “petting”.

You smiled as you watched Papyrus converse with the manatee as if they had been old friends, flushing as you realized you had been staring. Taking a glance at Sans, you sighed in relief as he had been doing the same thing.

You were too enamoured with these two. But, you smiled softly, laughing as Papyrus was twirling with the manatee, you found you didn't mind.

After Papyrus waved goodbye to his new friend, you walked deeper into the exhibit. You kept your eyes peeled, searching high and low for your favourite sea creature.

Sans chuckled, watching you as you tried to peer further into the glass wall, standing on a nearby seat to get a better look. “Looking for somethin’, bud? Lose your keys?”

You rolled your eyes as you hopped down to the ground. “Ha ha. No. Just… looking for Tim.”

“Tim?” The brother’s asked in unison, looking heavily confused. You nodded, looking back to the glass to keep searching.

“Yeah, he’s a new addition to the aquarium family. He’s also my favourite sea creature.” He had to be somewhere in here. You were getting to the end of the end of the exhibit, he had to be close!

“Oh, we should help them look too, Sans! What does this Tim look like?” You hummed, pulling out the pamphlet from your jacket pocket

“He’s nearly one hundred feet in length,” You whistled, looking at the info. That shouldn’t be too hard to spot.

“Uh,” Sans called, but you paid it no mind.

“He’s white on the bottom with grey scales on top. How handsome!” You smiled at the picture. He looked very healthy for being locked away in an aquarium.

“D-D-Date friend…?”

“Hang on Papyrus; it says here that his favourite spot is near the tiny kelp trees! Didn’t we pass those a few tanks back-?”

You paused as a rather large shadow fell over you, looking up as Sans and Papyrus stepped back away from the glass wall.

“I, uh, think Tim found us, pal.” You turned around to see the glorious great white shark that was Tim peering through the glass at you and the brothers.

You couldn’t keep yourself from gasping in awe as you turned around fully, taking in the beautiful shark as he floated back and forth to watch you.

“Oh, he’s amazing,” You say breathlessly, placing your hand on the glass. You watched as he swam back and forth, completely immersed with how fast he swam when he spotted a carcass that had been thrown in; the powerful jaws clamping down on his prey.

“So… that’s your favourite sea creature?” Sans called, walking up next to you when Tim swam further away to enjoy his meal. Papyrus walked up to your other side, bones clacking nervously.

“Yes! Sharks are amazing and powerful creatures- often misunderstood because of how scary they look, and how many deaths they’ve caused to humans.” You rolled your eyes.

“Cows cause more than that they do though, so I personally find it hilarious. They’re normally gentle creatures. They just get ravenous when they smell blood, or when they’re particularly hungry.”

“So they are… Gentle?” Papyrus looked confused, peering down towards Tim.

You nodded, “Heck yeah. Oh, I know; think about Undyne! She’s a fish. Or I think so, anyways.” Monster’s were weird like that. “She’s pretty scary and aggressive to people who don’t know her, right? But she can be kind and gentle with someone she does know- like Alphys!”

The boys hummed, nodding as they began to understand. Tim was just a male version of Undyne- without magic, legs, or the ability to give noogies.

“Well, I for one like him!” Papyrus called out, standing proud. “Thank you for introducing us to him, date friend! I am pleased to know of your favourite sea creature now.” You grinned and nodded happily.

“No problem. I’ve been wanting to meet him for a while now too. It’s good to know they’re taking care of him here.” You patted the glass affectionately before pulling away.

“Where to next?” You asked Sans, who had the map held loosely between his fingers. He pulled it up and opened it; looking to where they were stationed at currently.

“There’s a playroom to our right, and to to the left is a gift shop. After that is the ‘petting zoo’ area, and then the exit.” Sans read off easily before closing the map.

Papyrus clapped happily, taking your hand as he tugged you forward. “Come date friend! We must go play and get gifts for one another!”

Giving Sans an amused look, you let yourself be tugged and enjoyed Papyrus’ happy chatter.

The date was fun. After detangling Papyrus from one of the playscapes, picking up a “napping” Sans from a pile of plushies that various children surrounded him in, and goofing off in the gift shop (where Sans and Papyrus bought you identical “Tim” plushies, and you bought a manatee for Papyrus, and an eel for Sans), you all ventured go the petting zoo.

You idly held your hand in the water as a few curious stingray swam by, and gently pat their floating bodies as they passed. Sans was off to the side looking at a large poster listing off the details of stingrays, while Papyrus was off to the other side, petting the dolphins in the other tank.

Seeing a shadow inside the water, you bit your lip to fight your peels of laughter that demanded to come out. Gaster was underneath the stingrays, looking a little confused.

You flicked your hand slightly to capture his attention, making slow hand motions to sign.

 _“Did you need something, Gast’?”_ You waited as another stingray floated by before peering into the water again, trying to keep a clear view of Gaster’s hands.

 _“Merely checking in, dear human. What are these creatures?”_ He made a face as one swam past, watching it float by to your hand. You patted and pet it affectionately, grinning wide.

_“Stingrays. They get their name from their tails. These ones aren’t dangerous though; the people who take them in take care of that before setting them in here.”_

_“Interesting…”_ He watched as they floated around him, curious, before moving away; never seeming to mind their small enclosure.

He seemed to snap out of his thoughts as he looked to you suddenly. _“Do remember the plan I told you, dear human. It is important that you bring up Soul Bonding tonight, no matter how awkward it will be.”_

You flushed bright red, looking away from him. That’s right, you nearly forgot. After Frisk had been laid to bed, Gaster told you about Soul Bonding, and what it meant to monster kind.

In a simple explanation, it was how monsters showed each other that they cared ultimately for that one and that one alone.

In a not so simple explanation, it was also the highest form of love that anyone could give a monster, and it would bind you to them for a while. It was not permanent, but there were very, _very_ few cases that it was ever reversed under any circumstances- as it was a huge step for monsters in any relationship.

The process was a simple one, but a very delicate one as well. Offering someone your soul was no simple matter, after all. You had at least been explained that much before.

You flicked some water at his head before getting up, taking note that Papyrus was being swarmed by various dolphins as gently talked to him like he did with the manatee. You chuckled; he was a regular fish out of water.

You mildly wondered if that was because of his personality or because of his time spent with Undyne…

“Ready to go?” Sans asked, walking over to you.

Grabbing your plushies, you grinned. “Sure am. We better go save Papyrus before one of those dolphins asks him for hand hand in marriage.” You snorted, walking with Sans in tow.

“Oh, how lovely! Thank you dolphin friend.” A dolphin chirped happily as it splashed around, obviously enjoying the skeleton's presence.

“Come on Papyrus, time to go.” You smiled softly as Papyrus gave the dolphins each a pat before pulling away with a bright smile of his own.

“Are we heading home now? Goodie! We must make a romantic dinner to finish the night correctly!” With that, he pulled you and Sans to the exit and into his car; eagerly heading home.

During the ride, you felt your stomach clench in nervousness. How would you bring up Soul Bonding?

 

* * *

 

Well. Apparently at the worst time possible.

You rubbed Papyrus’ shoulder blades as he coughed into his hand, ignoring the flush on everyone’s cheeks. Perhaps you should have been more tactful than to just blurt it out while everyone was eating.

“S-sorry, I just…” You bit your bottom lip as you continued to pat Papyrus’ spine- unsure how exactly he could be choking without any necessary parts.

“What brought this up, pal?” Sans asked gruffly, more than likely trying to come off less surprised than he actually was.

You shrugged helplessly, not wanting to out anyone needlessly, or talk about Gaster in Papyrus’ presence. “I-I’ve just… been thinking about it a lot, I guess. A-and since today’s the day of love…” Your cheeks felt like they could easily melt something at this point.

“You have been thinking about it, date friend?” Papyrus asked, his voice slightly hoarse from the choking. You pulled away from his spine and nodded meekly.

“If y-you guys don’t want to, that’s completely fine!” You scratched your cheek, butterflies absolutely going crazy in your stomach. Gaster said to bring it up, not force them. You were fine not doing anything.

The sweat accumulating on Sans’ head was brushed aside by his sleeve as he gave you a weak grin. “Can’t say I’m not surprised bud, but uh… you… Entirely sure you want something like that? With us?”

You looked down at your half eaten plate of spaghetti, slowly nodding. You may not have been together long, and you certainly had more things to learn about your… boyfriends? Bonefriends? You held back a snort and looked back up to the brothers.

“We haven’t known each other long, but…” You held your hand to your chest where your soul came out, smiling softly as you remember how it felt to be held in each of their hands. “Yes. I honestly would want nothing more than to… be with you both like that.”

This was sounding like a cheesy rom-com anime or something- but you paid it no mind as Papyrus started sniffling.

“Nyoo hoo hoo. D-date friend…! You are making me weep tears of joy to hear you say that!” He rushed over to you and squashed you close into a hug, crying- happily?- above you.

Sans reached over and patted your hand, a smile replacing his earlier uneasy grin. “Yeah pal. That’s the nicest thing to say to a monster. Glad you, uh, feel that way too.” His cheek bones flushed bright blue as he chuckled to himself. You moved your hand to hold his and squeezed it lightly.

“W-we don’t have to do anything now, if you don’t want to, b-but uh… s-sometime might be nice.” Papyrus nuzzled your head gently, squeezing you to ease your nervousness.

“We shall need some time to prepare- as it does not start automatically- but we shall let you know when we can start!” He ‘pecked’ your cheek with a loud ‘mwah!’ in a pseudo kiss, pulling away after a moment.

“Time to prepare? How do you prepare?” You twirled some pasta on to your fork, frowning slightly.

Sans gulped down a bit of ketchup, his flush still on his face. “Well, uh, we basically allow our souls to mingle around yours more often. It’s easier with monsters, as our ‘physical’ bodies are our souls, so we’ll have to have your soul out for a few hours each day for them to mingle properly. But it’s basically letting us get to know you.”

He paused, leaning back in his chair as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “After a while, when we get to know each other enough, your will accept us easier when the bonding portion comes up.”

You ‘oh’d’ as your mind connected the dots. So Gaster was wanting you to _start_ the process rather than _do_ the process immediately. That made sense!

You flushed slightly as you played with your jacket’s sleeves. “S-so… could we start that now, or…?”

Sans laughed loudly as Papyrus bloomed red in his cheekbones- which you matched easily.

“Someone’s pretty eager it seems.” Sans smirked, obviously enjoying that you were immediately wanting to get into it. You felt ready to have the ground swallow you whole from his look alone.

“I-I was just asking…!”

He waved it off, giving a pleased chuckle as he stood. “Don’t worry about it. Just give me and Paps a few moments before we do it. Go change into your pajamas and wait in your room, alright?”

You nodded and skirted out of the living room and up the stairs, heart hammering in your chest. You were really going to do this, huh?

Quickly changing into some comfortable sweats and a tank top, you set your day clothes into the hamper to be wash before sitting cross legged on the bed; trying and failing to calm your raging heart.

 _‘Just the mingling part, you idiot. We aren’t at the bonding stage yet.’_ You repeated that line in your head like a mantra. It was about what felt like ten minutes later that you started to feel calm, and you sighed.

...Only to squeak and be tense again as the door opened, and the brother’s stepped in, both changed into their pajamas.

“Jeez, you alright pal? You look pretty pale.” Sans tilted his head as he looked you up and down, Papyrus quickly sitting next to you on the bed.

“If you are feeling unwell date friend, you must let us know!” You flushed brightly, shaking your head.

“I-I’m fine guys. Just, uh… nervous.” You looked at your bed, not wanting to meet their eyes.

“Nothin’ to be nervous about, pal. Just let us do all the work for you, alright?” Sans smiled gently, and it eased you greatly as he moved to sit on your other side.

You nodded, relaxing a bit in your seat. “S-so… what should I do, exactly?”

Papyrus patted your knee cap, grinning wide. “Relax and keep your mind at peace. It will let each of our souls know that we are alright with one another. It is the starting process after all!”

You nodded and relaxed yourself; leaning against the back wall and closed your eyes.

“Alright Paps, you can pull out their soul.” Papyrus ‘nyeh heh heh’d gleefully as he tugged out your soul; causing you to take a deep breath and focus on the floating and grounded feeling that the action gave.

“Now, pal, just keep your thoughts positive, alright? We don’t know how this’ll go, considering…” You nodded in understanding, filling your mind and soul with your trust for these skeletons.

It was a moment later when you felt an energy on your right brush up against you; a slight tickling sensation over your being. Your skin prickled with goosebumps as the chilled energy brushed up again and again.

Another moment when a hotter energy prickled to life at your left; similarly brushing against you in a calming motion.

They both took turns, carefully brushing and never going any further than surface deep; allowing your soul to become used to their personal sensations.

You could feel yourself becoming drowsy as you let them do their thing, never minding the clashing temperatures more than the goosebumps rising on your flesh. It felt relaxing, like a wonderful massage for your soul- intimate and personal with feather light touches- yet never pushing your boundaries.

You fell asleep with a wide smile on your face not long after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \-----
> 
> If you want to make me fanart- feel free! Send it to my stuff:
> 
> KagedBird -Tumblr
> 
> Kagster301 - DeviantART
> 
>  
> 
> Also! Feel free to check my Tumblr for updates on Precious People. Check the “fanfiction update” tag for anything you need to know!


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You figure out more about your soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so, so sorry for the wait, dears. I haven't really been feeling up to writing anything as of late- except for other plot bunnies that kept dancing around my head that weren't for this story- and I was going to wait to edit earlier chapters before uploading a new one, but I had an idea, and I couldn't stop writing. Heh, you know how it is. ^^"
> 
> Hopefully this 14 long page chapter will be an acceptable apology? :D  
> \------

You hummed and stretched with a satisfied moan; feeling a few of your joints pop before you fell lax against the bed once more. Your mind was in a haze; what were you doing last night again? What day was it?

...Why did you simultaneously feel hot and cold?

Cracking your eyes open, you brushed away the sleep crust from your eyelids and looked around as much as you could in your position. Sans and Papyrus were holding you like a plushie doll; Sans’ head on your stomach with his arms around your waist, and Papyrus holding your head close to his.

You squirmed for a second before settling back down, smiling softly. A few more minutes couldn’t hurt…

Well, they wouldn’t have, had your phone not start ringing on your desk.

Grumbling, you stretched your arm out to try and reach it, just barely missing it with your fingertips. Papyrus grumbled slightly in his sleep, pulling you closer to him- and effectively away from your phone- causing you to grunt in surprise.

Glancing back at your chirping phone, you tried to wiggle towards it with your hand again, only for Sans to flick his hand and surround your phone in his blue magic before silencing it; dropping it back down to the desk once more.

You chuckled lightly, moving your hand back down to his head and stroked it soothingly; similarly stroking the side of Papyrus’ skull as he “nyeh heh heh’d” in his sleep. Laying there peacefully with your boys, you thought about everything and nothing; letting thoughts flit through your head before dismissing each of them.

“How’re ya feeling, pal?” Sans called from your stomach, his fingers idly stroking your side. You squirmed a little from the touch with a smile, and hummed, giving a light scratch on his skull.

“Wonderful. Warm. Cold…” You flushed, laughing quietly. “Is it bad I don’t remember too much of last night? Other than the date, all I can remember is falling asleep…”

Sans was quiet for a few moments before looking up at you. “We started our bonding. You really scared us half to death when you fell asleep. We didn’t know if you were going to wake up.”

You winced, looking away. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to, I think. All I can remember feeling when I was asleep was… what I’m feeling now, I guess. Warm and cold.” You flushed brighter, giving him a small smile. “It feels nice.”

He hummed with a smile of his own, shifting a bit so he wasn’t craning his neck. Papyrus grumbled at the movement, but otherwise stayed sleeping; keeping your head captive in his arms. “What you’re feeling is probably us. Or rather, our souls.” He looked pointedly to your chest. “Our souls made direct contact with yours, so it’d be understandable that you’d be more aware of them now than before. It’ll probably be even more apparent later down the road, when we’re ready to bond fully.”

You nodded- to the best of your abilities, anyways- and thought to yourself. By the end of it, you’d always be aware of Sans and Papyrus’ souls; at least, you guessed.

You paused as you had a thought. “So… is there a limit? Like distance wise?” Sans nodded, fiddling with your shirt.

“Sure is. Right now, you’ll probably only be able to feel it when we’re close- either hugging or just a few feet away from each other. Probably not twenty feet or so though.” You hummed, sighing as your phone started ringing again, and reached over for it- blinking in surprise as Sans’ magic coalesced around it before passing it to you.

“Thanks,” You chirped before hitting the answer button. “Hello?”

_“O-oh good, you answered! Finally…”_ Alphys sighed on the other end of the line. You shifted your head slightly to loosen Papyrus’ hold on you, wincing as you felt your hair pull at your scalp.

“Sorry, we’ve been sleeping. How did your Valentine’s day go?” You started idly stroking Sans’ head again, causing him to hum in delight, and lean towards your hand.

_“Sleeping?! It’s nearly one o’clock!”_ A quick glance at your phone clock told you that it was indeed quarter to one. _“What in the w-world did you guys do th-that made you all sleep for so long?”_  
  
You flushed cherry red, clearing your throat as Sans gave you a curious look. “Oh, you know. Went to the aquarium, and uh… stayed up a bit too late last night I guess, heh.” Oh god this was embarrassing. Was it alright to talk about? Was it taboo? Hell if you knew.

Sans’ pupils danced in confusion before realization hit him; giving you a smug stare that you immediately shot a ‘don’t you dare’ look at. _“Well… alright. So long as everything’s okay. O-our Valentine’s was great, b-by the way. Undyne ordered some food a-and we rewatched the whole first season of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie! It was wonderful…”_  
  
You chuckled, knowing that watching the anime was probably not the only thing they had been doing- if your date nights shed any light of how in love they were with each other (and not afraid to show it, it seemed). You could only guess that it was worse when alone.

“Glad to hear it. Not to sound rude or anything, but was there any reason why you called, Alphys?” Sans moved his head to where it was directly in the middle of your stomach, looking up at you with that same damn smug grin. You have a half hearted glare in his direction before childishly sticking your tongue out.

_“U-uh, T-Toriel wanted to know wh-where you were; s-seeing as you didn’t show up for her lessons. A-and I was wanting to r-run a few more tests on y-your soul; Frisk offered to use th-theirs as a comparison between the two of you.”_ You heard clacking on the other end of the line, guessing she was typing something up. _“I-If you’re busy though, we can reschedule…”_

“Not at all Alphys; I’ll be right on over. Give me about twenty minutes?”A quick glance at the snoring Papyrus next to you, your lips quirked up into a smile. “Make that thirty. Papyrus is still asleep.”

_“R-really?”_ Alphys’ voice reached a pitch you thought impossible for the alto toned lizard. _“H-He’s usually up so early! Wh-what did you guys-?!”_  
  
“Talk to you later Alph; see you in a bit!” You hurriedly rushed out, cheeks burning red as you fumbled for the end call button. Taking a breath of air to cool yourself down, you turned your gaze to Sans- who was still freaking grinning!

“Stop that.” You pouted, pushing a finger against his skull. He chuckled, leaning against your finger.

“You know, she’ll probably notice something different with your soul when she runs tests on it.” You couldn’t help but groan, leaning your head back. He laughed again, heaving himself up from your body. “C’mon pal; best get to it. Ya only got thirty minutes.”

Grumbling, you leaned up, and- after cursing and tugging your hair free of Papyrus’ bones- headed for the shower with some clean clothes. Placing the clothes on the counter, you reached forward for the nozzle when the warm and cold sensations on your soul vanished; leaving you shivering from the empty feeling.

“Wh-?” Was your only response as you heard a crash from the other room, followed by heavy foot stomps and the door bursting open with Papyrus running in, looking around in a dazed panic.

“Date-friend; I felt your soul going missing, are you all right?!” He yelled, reaching for you and pulling you close; causing you to thank your lucky stars you hadn’t stripped clean yet.

“‘m fine, ‘pyrus,” Your voice came out muffled from pressing up against his rib cage, slowly easing yourself from his tight hold. Looking up at his face, you gave him a puzzled look. “What do you mean you felt my soul going missing?”

Papyrus’ cheek bones flushed, coughing into his hand as he avoided your gaze. “Y-yes, well,” He stumbled over your words before meekly looking down. “I did not… feel your soothing presence near my side anymore and grew worried.”

You chuckled, rubbing your chest where your soul burned with Papyrus’ warmth. “I felt that too. Guess we reached the limit of where we could feel each other, huh?” You patted his humerus before chucking your thumb at the bathtub. “I was reaching for the nozzle when it happened. Sorry for startling you.”

“Oh!” He seemed surprised before flushing brighter, coughing into his hand again. “Yes, of course. No danger whatsoever!” He patted your head before turning around. “I will let you get back to it then. Please call for the Great Papyrus if you require anything!”

You bit back a chuckle as he walked out and closed the door behind him; shaking your head.

This was going to be a ride.  


* * *

 

“O-oh dear,” Alphys commented with a flush, adjusting her falling glasses back onto her snout.

Papyrus had all but left your side, firmly planting himself next to you. Every time you would get too far where your souls couldn’t reach for each other, he was a complete mess; fearing the worst that something had happened to you. He didn’t let you out of his sight, much less five feet from each other.

Sans was only slightly better. He was a little calmer when asking around for you if he lost you; calmly brushing his shoulder or hand against yours to retain some small contact without asking for it. Whereas Papyrus would pick you up and hold you to his chest, not letting you walk around on your own until he calmed down.

And that was just from walking on the sidewalk to get to the lab. It took you nearly an hour to get to Alphys’.

You were currently being held to Papyrus’ chest again, limp in his hold. While it was a bit silly, you found it slightly sweet that he wanted to be closer to you- both of them, in their own ways. Since Papyrus had taken up to holding you, Sans simply held your hand.

“We have arrived Alphys!” Papyrus called cheerily, easily stepping inside once the lizard monster squeaked and moved by. Your hold on Sans’ hand slipped- since the door was really only wide enough for one person at a time- but he didn’t seem to mind much as he gave a wave to Alphys.

“Sup. Hope you don’t mind us joining you.” He continued walking in, not allowing you to go too far ahead without him. Poor Alphys looked so confused, blinking owlishly before shutting the door.

“O-oh, y-yes- I-I mean no! U-uh, you’re m-more than welcome-!” She hurried on after the three of  you, her clawed feet clicking against the tile floors. “I-Is there any reason for-?”

“Just wanted to see what kind a’ tests yer running,” Sans drawled casually, stepping through the lab door as Papyrus ‘ooh’ed’ and ‘ahh’ed’ at everything while still holding you like a precious doll.

Your armpits were starting to hurt.

“U-uh,” Alphys tried to glance at you for help, but Papyrus turned you away before you could reply to look at another scientific object. Not that you would have given her much of an answer, you thought as you flushed brightly.

“R-right, then. Ah, P-Papyrus, you can set them down on th-that chair over there.” Alphys pointed to the plush arm chair that you had taken residence over whenever she ran tests, and Papyrus happily obliged.

However, you resisted the urge to facepalm as he sat in the chair with you on his lap; arms moved snuggly around your waist.

Alphys looked very confused, turning to look bemusedly over at Sans- who simply moved a plastic chair over to you and Papyrus before sitting down.

“I-is… did something happen…?” Alphys asked quietly, wringing her clawed hands together nervously. You sighed, your body leaning up against Papyrus’, and idly wondered if you should explain.

“Don’t worry about it Doc, they’re fine.” Sans shrugged casually, taking hold of your hand again. You chuckled under your breath- yeah, that would pacify her for sure.

“U-um....” Alphys looked back over to you, and you nodded; not allowing yourself to flush in embarrassment. “A-all right…?” She padded over to her tools, gather the usual necessary items of beakers, “electrode patches” with what she called a “holter monitor”- something sciency that would keep tabs on your heart and soul beats- cotton swabs, and a syringe.

“I hope you don’t mind if I take a blood sample,” She looked over at you with a grimace. “I know not everyone is comfortable with needles…” You shrugged, used to sharp objects breaking your skin.

“S’fine; I just can’t look. Can’t stand watching it go in.” You wrinkled your nose, thoughts filled with memories of Chance torturing you for a moment before you immediately shook them away. Now was not the time.

Sans and Papyrus gave you reassuring squeezes as you felt the temperatures increase- and decrease- respectively; causing you to relax in Papyrus’ hold once more. Alphys looked startled, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Wh-?” A chime came through the lab as the doorbell rang, sending Alphys jumping slightly into the air in surprise. Giving the three of you one last look, she quickly headed over to answer the front door.

You shifted in your seat with a sigh, rubbing your fingers over Sans’ bones. It’d been a long time since you felt this calm. Closing your eyes, you focused on their souls; smiling as they brushed up against you lovingly.

You didn’t know how you could tell, but you could just feel it. It was so warm- and cold- and full of pure _love_. It was full and inviting, and you didn’t wait to just melt into a puddle of goo- figuratively.

Sans chuckled from your left, causing you to crack an eye open to glance at him. He grinned, “Having fun over there, pal?” You snorted, feeling his soul teasingly skate across the back of your soul, causing you to shudder.

“Hardy har har,” You mocked, sticking out your tongue again. “You’re lucky I can’t do anything to retaliate.” Papyrus’ warmth soothed your soul again, like smoothing down your hair after it bristled and stood on head; sending you back into your relaxed haze.

“S-sorry for keeping you th-three waiting; T-Toriel and Frisk j-just arrived.” Alphys called out apologetically, dashing back into the room with Frisk and Toriel right behind her. They both looked surprised to see Sans and Papyrus, but Frisk grinned and hopped up over to you to sit on your lap; snuggling themselves close.

“I did not expect to see you both here, Sans, Papyrus,” Toriel called smoothly, moving to sit in another arm chair that Alphys brought out from the back, thanking her with a smile. “Is there any reason you’ve joined us today?”

“Nah, just wanted to see what our pal here went through during these things.” Sans answered just as smoothly; stretching in his chair. You noticed Toriel narrowing her eyes suspiciously, and quickly smiled- albeit a bit awkwardly- as she turned to you.

“I’m glad to see you are all right, my child. I was worried when you didn’t show up for your lessons; Alphys tells me you all… slept in?”

You nodded, and gave another awkward grin as you pet Frisk’s head. “Ah, uh, yeah. Heh, we were, uh, pretty pooped from our date yesterday.” There was nothing more awkward to you than dancing around that you started bonding with the brothers. It occurs to you that you probably should have asked Sans or Papyrus if it was all right to talk about- but remembering the first discussion about it after your… ‘Chance’ event…. you decided that it was perfectly reasonable to _not_ mention it.

You looked down at Frisk as you cuddled them close, ignoring the fact that Toriel only stared at you harder from your response. “You ready to help out today Frisk?” They nodded, grinning wide. You guessed that they wouldn’t use Wing Dings out here where everyone could see, and settled for simple charades, since your American Sign Language wasn’t that good just yet, and Alphys always asked to leave technology out of the lab when testing. Something about messing up soul patterns or something.

Alphys puttered around her small lab, gathering another set of supplies for Frisk before attaching tubes to beakers and gathering two large x-ray machines. Your brow furrowed; what did she need those for?

“All right; a-ah, Frisk, if you could move to stand over there?” Alphys called from her spot, pointing to the far end of the wall. Frisk reluctantly peeled themselves off of you, bounding over to the wall with a determined expression. Alphys brought over the holter monitor and electrode patches; quickly calling out Frisk’s soul and placing each patch on it.

“We’re just going to test the basics; see what Frisk’s soul reacts to compared to yours,” Alphys nodded her head over to you before turning back to her table and gathering her thick bundle of notes. “Toriel, if you wouldn’t mind?”

She nodded, walking over to her child before holding her paw just above Frisk’s soul; closing her eyes in concentration. You never noticed it before- with Sans and Papyrus- but you swore you could have seen a faint white glow coming off of Toriel at that moment. It was absolutely beautiful.

It felt like a searing heat, strong, and full of love. You were getting dizzy just staring at it and closed your eyes as you could feel it accidentally brush up against your soul. It was hot, hotter than Papyrus’, and you couldn’t hold back a shudder.

Alphys hummed to herself, torn between watching intensely and taking furious notes. She had gone through at least four pages before settling down, and nodded to herself. “All right, that’s good, thank you.”

Toriel eased herself from her concentration and smiled lovingly at Frisk, who returned it with ease. It made your heart warm to know that they loved each other so deeply.

Alphys muttered to herself, placing notes here and there before scratching her head with her pen. Looking over to you, she hummed. “Frisk, you can take a seat. Can you go up against the wall please?”

Nodding, you moved to get up, only squawk in surprise as Papyrus didn’t move his arms to let you up; causing you to fall back against him. Peering up at his face, you frowned. “Papyrus, I need to get up, please.”

He frowned over at Alphys with a surprisingly stern expression. “This won’t hurt our date-friend, will it?”

Alphys blinked, eyes wide as she slowly shook her head. “N-no, Papyrus, it’s just to monitor their soul. U-uh,” She chewed on her bottom lip, looking over to the startled Frisk. “F-Frisk, it didn’t hurt you at all, did it?”

Frisk shook their head, making signs to everyone to show that- what you could guess- it only tickled. Papyrus was still reluctantly to let you go, looking down at you sadly. “Surely I can stand over with them as well?”

“Papyrus, they will be fine,” Toriel reminded him softly. Placing a paw on his shoulder, she smiled. “I will do my best to make sure they are not uncomfortable, all right?”

Papyrus’ mandible clenched and unclenched slightly; and it worried you to see Papyrus so… upset? like this. Placing a hand on his cheek bone, you stroked it idly to calm him down. “It’s okay Papyrus, I’m right here. You can still see me. I’m not going to disappear or anything.”

Sans squeezed your other hand, causing you to glance over at him. He seemed to be sweating a bit, but gave you a reassuring grin as his soul brushed up against you again. “It’s okay bud, let ‘em go. Alph’ would like to run tests on them now, rather than later.”

“But,” Papyrus whined, curling you closer. You sighed, patting his cheek bone again before wiggling in his hold.

“C’mon Papyrus, the faster we get this done, the faster you can hold me some more. Okay?” He sighed deeply, as if it would physically hurt him to let you go, and reluctantly peeled his arms off of you. You tried not to seem eager to getting up, sighing in relief as you felt the blood rushing back to your legs.

Slipping your hand from Sans’ grasp, you headed over to the wall where Frisk was; shuddering as Sans and Papyrus’ souls stopped brushing up against you. Papyrus physically restrained himself from rushing over to you, gripping the love seat tightly as he fought between closing his eyes and staring intently at you.

Sans was only slightly better, patting his brother’s arm as more sweat congealed on the top of his skull. Alphys was very startled to say the least from the change in the two, frowning in thought. Opening her mouth to say something, she quickly snapped it shut as Sans gave her a sharp glance, and quickly grabbed some more electrode patches to cover your soul.

Moving in front of you, she pulled out your soul with a quick tug, and it popped out from your chest with ease, but left you suddenly feeling weak in the knees. Shuddering for breath, you felt confused as too many souls tried to brush up against you at once, and nearly fell to the ground- if it weren’t for Papyrus suddenly springing up from his seat and pulling you up into his arms.

Your vision faded between black and the bright florescent lights of the lab; making you feel rather nauseas.You vaguely heard shouting and felt arms around you tightening their hold as your gaze fell slightly hazy again; whimpering as the warmth you remember from Papyrus’ soul brushed directly against you again. It wasn’t long before the coolness from Sans’ soul came brushing up against you as well; soothing the slightly overwhelming heat of Papyrus.

It wasn’t long before you came back to your senses; body still shuddering uncontrollably as it slowly got used to Toriel’s large soul presence and small beats of Frisk’s red soul. Groaning, you placed a head to your head, trying to quell the pounding.

“-pyrus, please!” Toriel’s shout did your headache no good, causing you to whimper again. What was happening? Why did everything feel so… heavy? “You must let us see what is wrong!”

“You said you would not hurt them!” He called out, tightening his arms around you protectively. You could see a fuzzy version of your soul hovering above your chest. It was a deep, dark shade of purple, occasionally having flicks of what looked like a light pink- but they were quickly chased out by the dark purple. It left you shivering each time, wishing it would just stop.

“Papyrus,” Toriel tried again, pausing for a moment. Turning your head to the left, you could see the surprise on her face as she peered to your soul, and back between the brothers. Covering her snout, her cheeks bloomed red as she narrowed her eyes dangerously.

Sans stepped forward from beside Papyrus, sweating and giving the ex queen a pleading look. “Tori, we uh, need a moment alone? Please?” Toriel huffed, giving the three of you disapproving looks.

“Yes, _we_ do. Alphys, could you perhaps take Frisk out of the room for the moment?” Her tone left no argument, and Alphys squeaked and nodded; peeling the electrode patches off their soul before sending it back in, and tugged them out of the room before closing the door shut with a soft ‘click’.

The room was tense as Toriel moved forward towards you- causing Papyrus to take a step back with an uncharacteristically sharp look. “Ms. Toriel, I would ask you to not take a step closer.”

Toriel looked affronted, taking a step back in shock before sighing. “Please, we must… please sit down, at the least. You do not fully understand what you are doing to them.”

Reluctantly, the brothers sat down, each taking a hold on you. You felt slightly better, able to breathe again, and blinked away the haze from your eyes. Toriel gave you a sympathetic look, sitting across from you on the other arm chair.

“Child, can you hear me?” You gave a weak nod, adjusting yourself slowly in Papyrus’ lap. He only let go for so long so you could adjust properly, before holding you close again; brushing his soul against yours reassuringly. Toriel gave him a sharp look, huffing. “You must understand, while I am… rather pleased you love each other so much, you do not understand what consequences this could have.”

“Enlighten us,” Sans quipped dryly, obviously not in the mood. Toriel gave him an apologetic glance before closing her eyes.

“...There are no known records of monsters and humans being together- to this extent,” She began, looking down at the floor. “No one to ever bond with one another, usually only having… physical affairs.”

Despite the situation, you flushed. You knew what she meant by “physical affairs”.

It was a sad thought, though, that no one even tried to Bond like this. It was a wonderful feeling- when it didn’t go away, that is.

“We do not know what repercussions this Bond could have,” She continued, looking back up at the brothers. “It could ultimately harm them, in the end. For all we know, they are currently taking in magic from you both, and-!”

“We only started the Bond, Tori.” Sans cut in, rubbing his thumb on your hand in idle circles. It felt nice, and kept you- and probably himself- calm. “We didn’t go right into it. We weren’t sure what would happen ourselves.”

“...Is that why you are having such a hard time coping without them nearby, Papyrus?” She asked curiously, placing a paw to her chin. He nodded, hugging you tighter to his armor.

“Yes your majesty. It feels very cold without them nearby.” His confession made your heart clench in sympathetic pain, making you reach up and stroke his cheek bone to comfort him, smiling as he nuzzled your palm affectionately. He seemed much calmer now that he understood Toriel wasn’t going to take you away from them.

Toriel was silent as she thought to herself, watching the display of affection between you three; Sans still stroking your hand and you stroking Papyrus’ cheek bone.

With a heavy sigh, she stood elegantly from her seat. “Very well. But you must let Alphys look at their soul for any irregularities.” She gave you a stern look as well. “You must see Alphys more often for check ups. Are you certain you are all right?”

You nodded, giving Papyrus’ cheek bone one last stroke before dropping your arm. “A bit tired, and I have a bit of a headache, but other than that, I’m okay.” She gave a nod before heading to the door to call for Alphys and Frisk.

Frisk bounded into the room fast; launching themselves into your lap again; narrowly missing your soul and giggled despite the warning growls from both of the brothers. You gave them looks before stroking Frisk’s head softly.

_‘You okay?’_ They mouthed, peering over at your soul curiously. You nodded, giving a small hum in response.

Alphys nervously walked closer with the previously unused electrode patches; giving the brothers a frightened glance before placing the patches on your soul. Skittering away as fast as she could, she grabbed her notes and began writing down what she observed; frowning.

“C-could I, um, ask one of you to leave their side? F-Far enough to where you can’t reach th-their soul?” She squeaked at the sharp looks she received, but Toriel growled from behind her in warning.

“You will let her do what she needs to understand how this is affecting them. Do not get angry at her.” Sans sighed as Papyrus huffed a little, but neither of them moved as you nervously bit your lip.

“Now.”

Grunting, Sans stood and walked to the other side of the room; soon leaving you with only the warmth of Papyrus’ soul. You shuddered, curling against him as Frisk peered in awe at your soul; watching it change from the deep, dark purple, to a more dark red tinge.

Alphys hummed, taking notes more hurriedly; peering closer to your soul and gently tapped it with her claw; flinching away as you squealed from the touch and Sans practically _teleported_ in front of you- staring aggressively down at Alphys.

She shrunk under his gaze, shaking heavily as she stuttered an apology; hiding behind her bundle of notes. Sans immediately rounded on you, placing his hands on your face and stroking it lightly as if to make sure you weren’t harmed.

“I-I’m okay,” You mumbled, face flushed. “S-sorry. You just… have really cold hands.”

Frisk deadpanned up at you as everyone else sighed in relief. You shrugged; Papyrus was extremely hot in comparison to her touch. The lab wasn’t exactly freezing, but it wasn’t too warm either. It just startled you.

“A-alright, u-um; Papyrus, I-I need you to…” Papyrus whined, reluctantly lifting you and Frisk up and placed you onto the chair; stiffly moving over to the corner where Sans last stood.

Sans retook his place on the plastic chair, holding your hand and stroking it soothingly. It was a sharp contrast to before- feeling nothing but the warmth from Papyrus, and now feeling nothing but what you could describe as a mint like chill from Sans; not exactly surrounding you like Papyrus had, but enough to take over a good portion of what warmth had been lost.

You shuddered softly, tightening your hold on Sans’ hand and curled yourself around Frisk to retain some heat as your soul changed back to a beautiful royal purple. Alphys was furiously taking notes; no longer aware of the people around her as she peered close again and looked around your soul.

“This is very interesting,” She commented, adjusting her glasses again. She walked over to the main part of the holter machine; writing down what she thought interesting to the test. Poor Papyrus was losing it in the corner, dancing in his spot while clenching and unclenching his hands.

“You seem to be just fine from what I can tell,” Alphys called from behind her computer, clacking away at the keyboard. She paused to adjust her glasses again, humming. “Nothing irregular or life threatening. Just a simple Bond between you three- but that’s the interesting part!”

She motioned to Sans for a moment, pointing over to Papyrus. “I need you over there again, please.” He scowled, but after a small squeeze of his hand from you, he hopped up unenthusiastically over to the wall again.

You shuddered, feeling empty without them nearby. Your soul colour changed back to an orange without their presence. Was it just you or did it seem duller now? No longer a bright and cheery colour, it seemed a bit less in shade, which frightened you a bit.

“Your soul is very social- _you_ are very social,” She started, grabbing her notes as she began to look them over again. “Unlike Frisk’s soul, where it’s a constant Determination soul, yours changes fluidly from the presence of those around you. The thing is though, your soul can _change_ based on the people around you. Let me explain,”

She hurriedly grasped a cart with one of the large x-rays on it, moving your soul inside a small, but not too small, container; flicking on the machine with ease. The mechanism whirred to life as a picture came on the screen; showing a white outline of your soul and the orange that it normally was.

Interestingly enough, what looked like little dots of... something were trying to surround your soul from outside the container- not visible to the naked eye, but on the screen of the x-ray, there were various coloured dots trying to reach your soul from outside the container that kept them at bay. It was like your soul had a magnetic pull on them or something.

“Normally, a human soul is fixated on one point- one kind of being.” She held up a claw for each soul type. “Perseverance, bravery, patience, kindness, integrity, justice, and determination. You, however, can _change_ your soul type to fit the people around you. It’s astounding!”

You peered at the screen as Alphys reached forward and opened the top of the container to send a gentle wave of her soul against yours, watching as the coloured dots from Alphys- her magic- sped over to your soul with ease and morphed into a more yellow tinge. It sent an excited chill down your spine that wasn’t your own- what you assumed to be Alphys- and your mouth opened slightly in awe.

Toriel frowned, crossing her arms slightly. “But why is it that they can do this? To my knowledge, no human should be able to change like this. It is… quite unheard of.”

Alphys nodded, flicking the machine off before taking your soul out of the glass container, and set it back in front of you. “I’m not sure. Considering we still don’t have another human adult to compare it to, it’s hard to understand if it’s only them that acts this way, or if it’s inherently a human thing that changes over time.”

You sighed, looking down at the ground. That was bound to be an issue. Maybe you could ask your boss if you could see his-?

Wait.

_'Chance glared at Sans, turning around only to be met with a waving hand- his body lurching forward as a glowing maroon coloured heart appeared from his chest...'_

You frowned deeply, thinking back to when Chance kidnapped you that night; remembering that Sans had pulled out his soul. From your fuzzy memories, it didn’t look like Chance’s changed with the people around him, but you couldn’t remember fully.

“Hey Sans? What did Chance’s soul look like?” You looked over at him, surprised to see both brothers physically restraining themselves from running back over to you. Sans was sweating on his skull again, eyelights very tiny and nearly unnoticeable, and Papyrus was taking deep breaths to keep himself calm.

“Like a pricks,” He scowled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Why?”

“He’s an adult like me,” You replied, running your fingers through Frisk’s hair. “If he didn’t have the same looking soul, I’d assume that this is a ‘me’ centric thing.”

Sans fell silent before giving a nod and a shrug. “It was a maroon colour. Nasty looking thing. Didn’t change when you or I came near it- in fact, I don’t think it had the same glass like shell yours does.”

Toriel walked over to you, kneeling down in front of your soul as she held her paw above it- like she had for Frisk. “Do you mind if I give my test now? Perhaps something will occur.”

You nodded, ignoring the brother’s warnings as you sat up in the seat; pulling Frisk to your chest. Near Toriel’s presence, your soul didn’t change like it normally would around others; simply growing more fluid like a lava lamp. It was an odd sight.

At Alphys’ nod, however, Toriel closed her eyes and channeled her magic into her paw.

  
And you blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Mmkay, with that cliffhanger, I understand if you don't forgive me for the wait, haha! Sorry. ^^")
> 
> If you guys want to make fanart, feel free! (They make me cry ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) so be prepared for tears.)
> 
> Send them to:  
> Tumblr - KagedBird  
> DeviantART - Kagster301
> 
> Also!  
> Feel free to go to my Tumblr for fanfic updates- under the tag "Fanfiction Update". It'll make it a lot easier for me and you guys to know what's up, since I can't just post an author's note on here.


	35. Sorry- This Is A Notice!

Howdy lovelies!

This is for the people who don't regularly check up on my Tumblr, so if you've seen my recent additions, feel free to ignore this!

For those who don't check in often, or at all, I've come to let you all know that I've been on a short hiatus, due to personal reasons. I've moved to my father's house and I have a set schedule of what I need to do before I get to relax and do whatever I want. It's a lot nicer, and honestly, I'm having a much better time here.

I will not be giving out any more information on the subject other than that. Please do not ask to know, as it is none of your business.

However, for story related stuff, I'm going to stay on my hiatus for just a while longer- but only for _new_ chapters. What that means is, is that I'll be editing and updating older/previous chapters to make it much nicer looking. And I already have!

Chapters 1, 2, and 21 have been edited and changed, so please go reread those if you haven't already!

I am currently editing chapter 3 right now, and will be continuing to edit the rest of the other chapters until I deem them worthy enough. Only then will I post the next chapter.  
I'm very sorry for keeping you all on such a naughty cliff hanger, and I sincerely appreciate you all being so kind and patient! You're all such lovely people, and I couldn't ask for better readers.

I will keep you all updated for which chapters have updated on this authors note! Once every chapter has been tweaked and/or edited in some way, I will delete this authors note and upload chapter 33.

However, some things may change slightly- if some previous chapters become too long in my editing, I will have to cut it and upload a new chapter in between it, so things may get shifted for a while. Just forewarning you now; the order of things may become a little wonky!

Also, in the close future, I may have a job soon. I'm currently learning how to drive (yes, yes, very late for me to start learning this, I know), but I may be taking an Uber to work should I get the job, until I get my drivers license and get a car of my own. They need women in the work place to fill their quota so they show they aren't discriminating against others, so hopefully I can nab a job.

But until then, I have commissions open! Art and writing commissions; you can see all the details here! https://tinyurl.com/gqszc8y

I'll be sure to keep you guys updated with everything, and I'm sorry with how long everything's taking! Thank you so, so much for being patient lovelies!  
Have a wonderful day!!

Chapters Edited:

Chapter 1  
Chapter 2   
Chapter 3  
Chapter 4  
Chapter 5  
Chapter 6  
Chapter 7  
Chapter 8  
Chapter 9  
Chapter 10  
Chapter 11  
Chapter 12 (Scars)  
Chapter 13 (No Chance)  
Chapter 14  
Chapter 15  
Chapter 16 (MAJOR CHANGES)  
Chapter 17 (MAJOR CHANGES)  
Chapter 18  
Chapter 19 (A new chapter!)  
Chapter 20 (FUCK THIS CHAPTER ENTIRELY IT STAYS AS IS BECAUSE IDFK HOW TO CHANGE IT)[I'LL FIX IT LATER I GUESS]  
Chapter 21 (STAYS AS IS TOO)[I'M SORRY I'M JUST REALLY TIRED OF WAITING TO ACTUALLY UPDATE][I'LL DO IT LATER IF ANYONE IS ACTUALLY BOTHERED BY IT]  
Chapter 22 (MAJOR CHANGES)  
Chapter 23  
Chapter 24  
Chapter 25 (New chapter!)  
Chapter 26 (SOUL changes!)  
Chapter 27  
Chapter 28  
Chapter 29


	36. Important Notice; Not A Chapter; Please Read

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Placing the notice from Tumblr on here for those that don't go over there.

So, I’ve been thinking lately.

About that story.

You know the one. That’s near and dear to my heart.

Precious People; yup.

(insert tired sigh here)

I’m not giving up on it. Now is really the worst time to do this but, despite how nice work was today, I know it won’t stay this slow. Peak season is here. Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Christmas is on the way.

I’m going to be jam packed with work, but. I don’t feel like Precious People is doing so hot. I can’t bring myself to type up for it anymore. I don’t even think about it, except for when I feel guilty about not updating it.

So, I think I might re-write it. But not editing- no. I’ve already attempted that.

Re-writing it as a whole.

It deserves to be well written, and to be honest, I’m the type of writer who has too many jumbled thoughts and ideas in my head that nothing seems to flow well on the page. I sincerely need to work on my writing skills, and it’s been eating at me as of late. I don’t find myself to be that great of a writer, and it’s been very prominent to me.

So, I want to start over, with something similar, but something new.

It’ll have the same context- Reader not having an education, meeting the brothers, slowly making friends with everyone; HPP and actually connecting them better to the story and Reader, Chance (though he gets re-written entirely; his arc will be much different), Gaster- everyone.

I still want to keep the future ideas implemented because I really loved those, and I never got a chance (heh) to get to them in the first place, but everything from the start to where I left off will be different.

I’m a little unsure if I should Orphan Precious People or not though, considering I don’t think I’ll be updating it (this version, anyways) any more. Give me your thoughts on what you think is best!

Anyways- yeah. Probably won’t be any time soon where the new version gets published or anything (I’m currently running on two hours of sleep for a 7 hour and 21 minute work day ^^;) and I definitely want to run it over and over so I know what fits best and how to incorporate everything. Just letting you all know!

And thanks for being so patient. I'm really sorry I couldn't continue. But that's how the cookie crumbles I suppose.

Hopefully the second version will be much, much better.

I'm counting on it, at least. :)


End file.
